Emma Caldwell murder trial: Mother tells of last meeting with her daughter

Margaret Caldwell became emotional as she told the court of the last time she saw her daughter who was found dead in woodland in 2005.

The murder trial is being heard at the High Court in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

The mother of Emma Caldwell became emotional as she told a murder trial of the last time they saw each other before her daughter was found dead.

Margaret Caldwell, 76, said her daughter seemed “nervous” and “agitated” when she last saw her on April 3 2005 – two days before Miss Caldwell is alleged to have been murdered.

Iain Packer, 50, is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of murdering sex worker Ms Caldwell, 27, in 2005, and faces 46 charges including of sex crimes 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.

Giving evidence, Mrs Caldwell said Emma, her youngest daughter, turned to heroin to cope with losing her older sister, Karen, in 1998.

The mother-of-three said the family had a “very happy childhood” in Cardross, Argyll and Bute, but when Karen died, she said she felt she was “selfish” in trying to cope with her own grief, and “let my family suffer”.

She said Miss Caldwell, who was 20 at the time of the bereavement, later disclosed that she was in a relationship with a man and had started using drugs, then moved in with him in Govan, Glasgow in 2002.

Mrs Caldwell told the court she and husband William were “naive” and did not understand the finances involved in addiction, but saw Miss Caldwell twice a week in Glasgow, and spoke on the phone every day.

She was agitated in some way - normally we would sit in the car and speak for ages. She wanted me to park right at the door. We used to sit and speak about things, but she started to want to be parked at the front door

Margaret Caldwell, victim's mother

On April 3 2005, the pair met to buy daffodils and a card for Miss Caldwell’s grandmother’s birthday – however, when attempts were made to get in touch by phone to rearrange the next meeting, there was no response.

Mrs Caldwell said: “She told me she had met someone and and told them how much she missed her sister and how bad it was for her, he then said he knew something that could help with that. I think that was heroin.”

She described a routine of doing washing and buying food for Emma, which was taken in turns by the couple, who met Miss Caldwell at Inglefield Hostel Govanhill, where she lived for about 18 months.

Mrs Caldwell said: “There was a weekly routine, my husband would go on Wednesday and top up her telephone, buy her something to eat, and collect her washing and bring it home.

“On a Sunday I would go and visit, take back her clean washing and get snacks and sit with her for a few hours. We never missed it and she phoned every day.”

She said she was “overjoyed” that Miss Caldwell planned to go to rehab but said the family were “naive” about drugs, the court heard.

Mrs Caldwell added: “We didn’t realise, we were naive, we didn’t know how much these things cost.”

The last time they saw each other, Miss Caldwell “seemed a bit nervous”, her mother told the court.

They went shopping and ate in McDonalds but, rather than sit in the car and chat, Miss Caldwell asked to be dropped off at the hostel door, the court heard.

Mrs Caldwell said: “She was agitated in some way – normally we would sit in the car and speak for ages.

“She wanted me to park right at the door. We used to sit and speak about things, but she started to want to be parked at the front door.”

She recalled that Miss Caldwell said: “Bye mum, phone you Monday or Tuesday.”

The next meeting was due to take place on April 6, but the couple were unable to make contact with their daughter.

Mrs Caldwell told the court: “Yes, we did try on the Tuesday. There was no reply, my husband wanted to change the day from the Tuesday to the Wednesday.

“He wanted to let her know but there was no reply. There was no reply on Thursday, no reply on Friday.”

She added: “We never heard again.”

As well as alerting the hostel and police, the couple launched a search around Glasgow.

Mrs Caldwell said: “We spent hours and hours every day looking for her, sometimes we thought we saw her in the distance but it was someone else. We did not know what else to do.”

Advocate depute Richard Goddard said: “On May 8 2005, did you receive news Emma had been found deceased in a remote area of woodland, Limefield Woods, South Lanarkshire?”

Mrs Caldwell said: “Yes”, and added there was “no connection whatsoever” for the family.

A dogwalker found Miss Caldwell’s body, the court heard.

Neil Borland, 54, gave evidence and said his Labrador, Gigha, refused to leave an area in Limefield Woods on May 8 2005.

He followed and found Ms Caldwell’s body face down in a ditch. She was naked with a “garotte” around her neck.

Mr Borland said he was so shocked that he called for his brother-in-law and sister to come and verify what he was seeing.

In a 999 call played to the jury, his sister, Catriona Wardell, described the spot as “the middle of nowhere”, while her husband, Alan Wardell, went down to the main road to direct police.

Mr Borland gave evidence and said his dog “could see me and I could see her, and she wouldn’t move”.

He added: “Beside her Emma was there. She was lying in furrows between two lines of trees.”

When asked by Advocate depute Richard Goddard if anything was near to the body, Mr Borland said: “A garotte.”

Mr Borland said the garotte was “round her neck” when asked to describe it.

He added: “The only other thing I can remember was seeing a footprint.”

Mr Borland said: “From what I could see, which wasn’t very much, the top half looked naked. It was face-down.”

The trial continues in front of Judge Lord Beckett.