Time should be spent remembering Amber, not ‘depraved’ pair, says detective

Connor Gibson and Stephen Corrigan were found guilty on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone described the pair as ‘depraved’ (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Archive)

The head of major crimes at Police Scotland has said time should be spent remembering Amber Gibson rather than the two men convicted.

Amber’s brother, Connor Gibson, 20, was found guilty on Tuesday of sexually assaulting and murdering the 16-year-old, whose body was found at Cadzow Glen, Hamilton, on November 28 2021.

Stephen Corrigan, 45, was found to have inappropriately touched and concealed Amber’s body after he discovered her, rather than alerting police.

I'd like to actually give them as little thought as possible, to be honest with you

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone

Speaking to the PA news agency, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone said: “I’d like to actually give them as little thought as possible, to be honest with you.

“There’s not any other words that spring to mind that I would describe them (as) other than depraved.

“I actually think that time should be spent more remembering Amber.”

The senior officer said he hoped the convictions “bring some degree of comfort” to the people who knew and cared for Amber.

He added: “The actions of both Corrigan and Gibson leave them both beneath contempt.

“This was a challenging and complex investigation involving a range of specialist officers from within Police Scotland working closely with our partners in forensic services, all of whom I would pay tribute to for their professionalism and dedication whilst carrying out their work.”

Asked how this has affected the officers and staff who worked on the probe, Mr Livingstone said: “This will have had a profound impact on them but I think it’s a testament to their professionalism, their commitment, their dedication; they’re unwavering in their duties and what they do.

“But, as an organisation, we make sure that we support them.

“We’ve got a range of support mechanisms we can put in place which, in inquiries like this, we routinely offer and we go back and we make sure our officers, as time goes on, they’re still OK.”