Alesha MacPhail: Jury hears youngster had 117 injuries
The youngster suffered the kind of “catastrophic” injuries an experienced pathologist had never seen before
Last updated 20th Feb 2019
Alesha MacPhail suffered the kind of “catastrophic” injuries an experienced pathologist had never seen before. Dr John Williams said the six year-old had died due to “significant” pressure to the face and neck.
The High Court in Glasgow heard Alesha had a total of 117 injuries.
Some were described as “forceful” with others too graphic to explain in detail.
Dr Williams admitted he had never “encountered” a number of them in his career.
A 16 year-old boy is accused of abducting, raping and murdering Alesha last July 2 on the Isle of Bute.
His mum also gave evidence - but said she “did not think he had anything to do” with the killing when she contacted police at the time.
Dr Williams - a consultant forensic pathologist based at Glasgow University - carried out a post mortem on Alesha.
He had initially examined the child at the woodland area in Bute where Alesha was found on July 2.
His report detailed Alesha had 117 injuries.
Prosecutor Iain McSporran asked the doctor: “That is a significant number, but some may have been caused by the nature of the ground where something was happening to her?”
He replied: “Yes.”
Jurors were again shown photos of Alesha's naked body after she had been found.
The court was then told Alesha had “severe” injuries to her private parts.
Mr McSporran asked the doctor: “You have carried out many post mortems on victims of crime including children.
“Have you ever seen anything of this sort to the private parts?”
Dr Williams: "No."
The trial was told Alesha was the victim of “smothering” having suffered “inflicted trauma”.
There had also been shaking of the child as well as bruising and “pin point” areas of bleeding.
He said some of these injuries were “inflicted in life”.
Brian McConnachie QC, defending, said injuries in Dr Williams' report could be described as “catastrophic”.
He then asked: “These are of a kind that you have never seen before?”
Dr Williams confirmed that was the case.
Jurors later heard how the boy's mum called police after learning her son had left the family home in the early hours of July 2.
The woman had earlier watched CCTV footage from cameras installed at the house.
Mr McSporran asked the 54 year-old: “Why make the call?”
She replied: “My friend said I better tell the police. Obviously I did not think he had anything to do with it whatsoever.
“It was just to help the police. Maybe he had saw something that he would not tell me.
“It was to eliminate him from their enquiries basically.
“We were trying to explain to him that whoever done this would have left DNA. He was not sure what DNA was.”
The mum had earlier joined the hunt to try and find Alesha. She spoke to her son as the search was going on.
The woman recalled: “He was lying sleeping. I asked: 'have you seen this little girl - do you or your friends know anything?'
“He said 'no' then just rolled back over.”
The mum later trawled through the home CCTV.
The court heard the boy had “gone out, come back, gone out and come back again” in the early hours of July 2.
At one stage, he appeared to be wearing only shorts.
The mum confronted her son about his movements.
She recalled: “I went into his room and said 'you went out again that night'. He was just like : 'I don't know...I think I might have been looking for my phone.
“He just said that to me and I left him in his room.
“I had explained that they had found the little girl. I said: 'Are you sure that you don't know anything about this?' He said 'no'.”
The boy later claimed to his mum he had gone out in the early hours to ‘buy weed’.
Further CCTV footage showed the boy out around 4am shining a torch before running off from his home.
Mr McSporran said the murder went on to be ‘the talk of the nation’.
The advocate depute asked the woman did she again talk to her son before he was arrested.
She said: “I was trying to explain to him that whoever done this, their DNA would be there.
“He was adamant he had nothing to do with it.
“There was no way they would find his DNA because he had been nowhere near this little girl.
“I was happy with that and sent him to his bed.”
The woman was also shown a knife found on the shore at Bute during the murder probe.
She accepted it was “very similar” to knives found in a set at her home.
The trial, before Lord Matthews, continues.