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Caldwell murder accused told police he lied about knowing her, trial hears

Iain Packer denies all the charges against him.

Lauren Gilmour
Friday 02 February 2024 15:01 GMT
Emma Caldwell died in 2005 (Family Handout/PA)
Emma Caldwell died in 2005 (Family Handout/PA) (PA Media)

A man accused of murdering a sex worker told police in a statement he lied about knowing her and had seen her ā€œ10 or 11 timesā€, his trial has heard.

Iain Packer, 50, attended Cathcart Police Station on August 4, 2006 to give a voluntary witness statement to detective David Barr.

Now retired, Mr Barr, 58, gave evidence at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, where he was asked a series of questions about Packerā€™s statement.

Advocate depute Richard Goddard KC took Mr Barr through the statement.

Packer is accused of murdering Emma Caldwell, 27, in 2005, and faces 46 charges involving a number of women, including rape as well as abduction and assault.

He denies all the charges against him, and has lodged special defences of incrimination, consent, defence of another and self-defence.

When giving his statement, Packer told Mr Barr he lied about not knowing Miss Caldwell, the court heard.

Mr Goddard read out part of Packerā€™s statement, which said: ā€œIn my previous statement, I told police I did not know Emma Caldwell.

ā€œThis is a lie. I did know her. I have been with her 10 or 11 times, maybe more or maybe less.ā€

The court heard Packer had met Miss Caldwell at Glasgow Green for the first time in 2004 or 2005, where he said she approached him and asked if he was ā€œlooking for businessā€.

Packer told the detective he thought Miss Caldwell was ā€œquite prettyā€ and ā€œpresentableā€.

He paid Miss Caldwell for a sex act, he told the officer.

The court heard he met Miss Caldwell a few months later and made another sexual request, which he said she agreed to.

Packer told the officer he started having sex but said she then told him she did not want to do it anymore.

The court heard Packer told the detective he carried on, and told Miss Caldwell ā€œWe agreed before we startedā€ and that he had ā€œpaidā€ and wanted something.

The court also heard Packer had taken five young women in total to woods near Biggar, South Lanarkshire.

He told police in August 2006 that he ā€œbecame angryā€ with one girl because she did not want to take her clothes off and ā€œbangedā€ his fists off his steering wheel.

In the statement, he told police he ā€œloved the thrillā€ of using prostitutes and ā€œthe buzz I gotā€ from doing so.

He also told police in the interview that he used sex chat lines ā€œjust for the thrill of itā€ and he would perform a sex act on himself while using them.

The court heard Packer took out personal loans to fund his use of prostitutes.

Mr Goddard asked Mr Barr: ā€œIs that what he says?ā€

Mr Barr replied: ā€œYes.ā€

The court previously heard Packer said he did not know Miss Caldwell well and that he did not know her name until there were police appeals following her death.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.

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