Judge to consider lifting ban on naming Alesha MacPhail killer
22 February 2019, 06:43
A boy who killed six-year-old Alesha MacPhail in a "bestial manner" could be identified on Friday.
The 16-year-old is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of raping and murdering the youngster while she visited her grandparents on holiday.
Judge Lord Matthews told him he had committed some of the "wickedest, most evil crimes this court has ever heard".
The boy cannot currently be identified for legal reasons as he is under 18, but the judge will consider an application from media outlets to lift the court order.
The teenager took Alesha MacPhail from the bed where she was sleeping on the Isle of Bute on July 2 last year and inflicted horrific injuries before dumping her body in woodland.
A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took three hours to find the boy guilty unanimously, following a nine-day trial.
In a statement issued by Police Scotland, Alesha's family said: "We can't believe that we will never see our wee angel Alesha again. We miss her so much.
"We hope that the boy who took her from us is jailed for a long time because of what he has done to our family."
