UK - Alesha MacPhail, 6, raped & murdered, Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2 Jul 2018 -*arrest* #2

[angeldust]

Remember the accused when he was fantasising about murder with his friend . He said he would make sure he cleaned up along the way. Pause for thought. I know it was young person chit chat but still and the dna search he’ll claim was cause his mum said about will be bollocks, as he’s thought and discussed it enough to comment a couple of years ago. But will that also be dismissed

 

[AM12]

The location is very odd though. It is the rail of a stairlift, they are typically set just at the top of the skirting board. So...he went to buy drugs and crawled up the stairs?

Just googled chair rail and looked at images as thought it was a stairlift aswell but images are showing a decorative rail that can be upto waist height

 

[AM12]

Generally the defence has to pick holes in the prosecutions witnesses as you go along, as you can’t call them back usually.
So far I dont think the defence has had much to object to or to undermine from the reporting, I’ve seen.... I would have thought they would try and say the CCTV isn’t clear enough, or the clothes on the beach could be anyone’s etc....haven’t said much really.

yes most of it is hard to rebut as is not very disputable

 

[AM12]

Would really love to know the timing of these searches - was it after he had been interviewed at home by the police, as a witness

It was at 12-30 am on the 3rtd July

 

[AM12]

We still await forensics on Aleshas body whereby I assume there will be traces of the accused but by god it feels like without the CCTV in this case thus far they don’t have a lot of incriminating forensic evidence. I’m stunned that they only found one palm print within the property tbh

Absolutely and Seawater must have washed away any DNA from items on beach to the accused

 

[angeldust]

It was at 12-30 am on the 3rtd July

So after mums chat and before the police arrived to interview him ?

 

[404_notfound]

Could have been sitting on the stair waiting for a deal and left the print when he was getting up from a seated position (?)

Possible. Presumably in court they were shown whether the palm was facing up or down the stairs. It was above the 14th tread but i don't know how many there are total. If it was facing down your scenario is possible but it really wouldn't help you much, especially if there's an actual handrail too, which would be better to help one stand. It's also possible the stair lift is on the inner curve of the staircase rather than the outer, which means 2 sets of rails, one of which would be a good bit higher, and a decent thing to grab if climbing up, but at the same time you'd expect to see fingerprints too then, from the hand wrapped around the rail (central rails are free of the banister, wall rails are affixed to the wall so you can't wrap your hands right around them).

Just googled chair rail and looked at images as thought it was a stairlift aswell but images are showing a decorative rail that can be upto waist height

A few pages back someone quoted the newspaper that stated it was the rail of a stair lift.

 

[AM12]

but he would've had to get inside it, somehow locate Alesha's room despite not knowing which room it is,




Perhaps he didnt have to go as far as the inside of the flat

So what an accomplice or sleepwalking or that they have the wrong person??

 

[AM12]

So before the police arrived to interview him ?

Yes and hour before according to STV news

 

[GimmeAclueBlue]

IMO all the "the days are too long for him" talk just leads me too think that they may be setting him up for a insanity/diminished responsibility etc plea as they could say how its affecting his mental health and what not.

Just A thought

 

[Kikixxxx]

I can’t believe there is only one more prosecution witness before they rest, we haven’t heard about the phone satellite signal ( locating if he was around murder spot) nothing about any blood or dna off alesha left in his house or bathroom, there’s so much I would of expected to hear by now. It’s so frustrating, unless the really large gaps in reporting from the journalists mean they have actually been discussed but for some reason not allowed to be reported? I don’t know..!

 

[Truthseeker777]

So what an accomplice or sleepwalking or that they have the wrong person??

The evidence so far would suggest the accused did not abduct the child from inside the flat but possibly on the stairs...if the child walked out of the building would her feet still be clean (?)

 

[Kikixxxx]

IMO all the "the days are too long for him" talk just leads me too think that they may be setting him up for a insanity/diminished responsibility etc plea as they could say how its affecting his mental health and what not.

Just A thought

Someone mentioned earlier if it would be possible for him to appear via video link... I think this is what his lawyer was hinting for??

 

[AM12]

I know his sister left the house that night at 12:30 am, has it been reported anywhere in the mainstream media approximately what time she returned home? I was just wondering if she was already home when he was seen going in and out of the house on CCTV or if she was home when he used her FB account to try and contact TM.

I think someone before mentioned about how he could have maybe used a defence saying he was out looking for his sister, but obviously, it's too late for him to change his story now, but I was just wondering how the timeline added up.

No mention has been made of that after she left with group going to another house so presume that she did not come back home as there is no mention of her in timeline of events that evening .

 

[AM12]

The evidence so far would suggest the accused did not abduct the child from inside the flat but possibly on the stairs...if the child walked out of the building would her feet still be clean (?)

If from stairwell then yes as its an internal staircase

 

[Truthseeker777]

IMO all the "the days are too long for him" talk just leads me too think that they may be setting him up for a insanity/diminished responsibility etc plea as they could say how its affecting his mental health and what not.

Just A thought

Best explanation yet for finishing early today...

 

[AM12]

I was sure she testified that she said they'd have their DNA and that's when he asked her what DNA was but I could be incorrect.

If I recall correctly this conversation was after Police visit as she essentially said not to worry as DNA would prove who the Killer was. If this is the case then the Google search for DNA would have been made before conversation with his Mother.
Google DNA search could just be an inquisitive mind given that a murder had happened nearby to know more about DNA so is not necessarily proof of guilt on its own although it is relevant to the case and perhaps makes it stronger as a guilty person would be worried about such things

 

[angeldust]

Best explanation yet for finishing early today...

High Courts often work short days inside the courtroom. Tbey usually don’t start until 10am. Usually stop just after 12 for
Lunch Back at 2 till
Around 4 so if a new witness is to be called it would be pointless to do this at 3.15. They don’t know how long they will be on stand so it’s not usual for them to finish up
Around this time start with new witness first thing tomorrow

 

[chimpface]

I think unless there is DNA evidence presented of his semen at the body site/on the body this will be a "not proven" verdict.

Does anyone know if the prosecutors would be able to take him to trial again if this is the case?

 

[AM12]

Unless there is something more significant, reported or not, then all that we have is circumstantial.

His movements to and from the house in themselves don't constitute guilt. It could merely be co-incidental. We would have to have some indication of his movements beyond CCTV via phone GPS.

The palm print doesn't mean he was in the house on the night of the murder. The print could have been left during a prior visit to the house to buy drugs.

The phone search for information relating to DNA means nothing in itself. It could purely be curiosity on his part further to the discussion with his mother.

There needs to be something significant - DNA on Alesha's body. Blood in his mother's house. GPS putting him at the crime scene etc. So far none of this has been mentioned.

Would agree with that but you would have to be very unlucky not to have a piece of evidence that can rule you out for example and alibi at time of CCTV on beach presuming it is the murderer on Beach with Alesha which in itself could be disputed as an unlucky coincidence . So far every piece of evidence Joggers on beach/ Knife on beach . Association with victims family . Times leaving house Behavior following murder all lead to a possibility of guilt and there is not a single piece of evidence that says that the accused was not involved or for it to be physically impossible for him to be involved and so on balance I believe that the majority of the jury will be swayed towards a guilty verdict.
Still early days in the trial though so perhaps there could be some damning evidence that is impossible to refute