The story of an Edinburgh woman who was tortured and murdered by her neighbour will be investigated by forensic experts as part of a documentary on Sky Crime.
Elaine Collie was 46 when she let her neighbour, John ‘Jock’ Reid, into her home. The brute then proceeded to hit Elaine over the head with a weapon, tie her to a bed and gag her with a towel.
Reid then subjected Elaine to sexual assault and torture before he suffocated her, reports EdinburghLive.
During the harrowing abuse, Reid forced Elaine to share her PIN number before he stole her jewellery as well as £350 from her bank account.
At the High Court in Edinburgh in October 1999, Reid was sentenced to life behind bars after pleading guilty to Elaine’s murder. At the time, it was recommended that he serve at least 15 years.
However Elaine’s family believed that the sentence did not go far enough.
In 2021, her brother Fred and nephew Jason, who works as a journalist in England, were notified of Reid's death, and were glad that he would not be able to harm any other victims.
Reid, who died in his early 60s, claimed he was drunk at the time of the brutal attack and could remember nothing about it. He added that he felt remorse for his actions.
Now the case will be looked at in more detail on Sky Crime. The show, called ‘Forensics: Catching The Killer’, will air at 9pm on Thursday, February 9 as well as at 11pm on Friday February 10.
True North Productions described the documentary as an explanation of how detectives solved the case thanks to in-depth forensic investigations.
A spokesperson said: “There will also be interviews from the former West Lothian and Borders detective and the forensic scientist who solved the case, as well as another of Reid’s victims – who was sexually assaulted by him as a teenager– and never-before-seen crime-scene photographs from Elaine’s flat.
“Every week, the series tells the stories of 12 murder cases – each one resolved thanks to forensic science and dedicated police investigation.”
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