Crown Office
10 June 2010
LAUCHLAN AND O'NEILL CONVICTED OF MURDER OF ALLISON McGARRIGLE
At the High Court in Glasgow today, William Lauchlan (01/07/76) and Charles O'Neill (23/07/62) were convicted of murdering Allison McGarrigle and defeating the ends of justice by concealing her body and disposing of it into the sea. In addition, details of their conviction at the High Court in Glasgow in May 2010, for the sexual abuse of young boys, can be made public for the first time today.
Speaking after today's verdict, Scott Pattison, Director of Operations, said:
"Today William Lauchlan and Charles O'Neill have been convicted of the murder of Allison McGarrigle.
"As the court heard, Allison had tried to defend a young boy from abuse at their hands. To silence her, Lauchlan and O'Neill threatened her, held her against her will, murdered her and then disposed of her body.
"Her body has still not yet been recovered; as a result, her family has not been able to lay her to rest since her disappearance in 1997. We can only imagine the depth of their sorrow.
"Today details of Lauchlan and O'Neill's recent conviction for sexual abuse of young boys can be made public for the first time. It has become chillingly clear that both these men were sexual predators who were willing to kill to secure access to children and abuse them for their own gratification.
"Our prosecution teams in Ayrshire and Central have been tireless in their efforts to bring both these men to justice for their crimes. A dedicated inquiry team was established in Ayrshire to prepare the case. We have worked closely with police in Strathclyde, Fife and Central Scotland, and in Lancashire, and received valuable assistance from Spanish police in Gran Canaria and Benidorm.
"Now that Lauchlan and O'Neill have been convicted, justice has been done and in this we hope that the families of all those who have suffered find some degree of comfort."
Ends
Notes to editors:
1. Lauchlan and O'Neill were today found guilty of the murder of Allison McGarrigle, who disappeared in 1997. The trial was prosecuted by Dorothy Bain QC, the Principal Advocate Depute.
2. In May 2010, Lauchlan and O'Neill were found guilty of committing sexual abuse towards children. They were both convicted of abuse carried out in Spain in April 2004 against a 14 year old boy, contrary to Section 16B of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995; both were unanimously found guilty of the grooming of a six-year old boy between December 2007 and March 2008 at various locations in Scotland and elsewhere; and O'Neill was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a 14 year old male complainer in June 2003. This trial was prosecuted by Derek Ogg QC, Assistant Principal Advocate Depute and Head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit's team of Crown Counsel.
3. The first trial was dealt with by the National Sexual Crimes Unit, which was established in May 2009 to lead the prosecution of the most serious sexual offences, including rape, child sexual abuse, and sexually motivated murder. The Unit is based in Crown Office, Edinburgh and includes a dedicated team of specialist Crown Counsel who are involved in criminal investigation from the earliest stages, providing advice and expertise to Procurators Fiscal. The Unit also includes a dedicated team of specialist Procurators Fiscal. The specialist team of Crown Counsel is headed by Derek Ogg, QC, Assistant Principal Advocate Depute.
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