UK - Alesha MacPhail, 6, raped & murdered, Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2 Jul 2018 -teen arrested

[Charmainereilly27]

the fact the boy is only 16 in my area kids from ages 5 to around 16 all hang around and take care of eachother play football etc .. she would have trusted him the poor soul .. however such swift work from the police but im assuming it was just him that commited the murder as when scottish police say in connection with they do mean murder however the full car scenario does have me puzzled

 

[Inge Jones]

I think they use "in connection with" because it's not always clear at this stage whether the charge might shift slightly - from murder to manslaughter or vice versa, or some additional charges like driving underage etc. It just means they have decided they have enough evidence that he's responsible for the death, one way or another.

 

[Taskforce88]

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[mrazda71]

Talking about gossip thats on Facebook will get you a time out or banned and also get the thread shut down for everyone else.

Please read the rules xx

 

[Taskforce88]

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[eucalyptuz]

In this day and age I am not sure what LE can do to keep this guy's identity under wraps. All it takes is a comment by someone with 'open' settings on their SM and the doxxing begins. It is sad that people are tagging other people in comments and the now the whole thing is being dragged in many directions now.
From what I can gather (and I'm not really trusting the sources yet), I think we can say it was not:
-a random stranger
-a summer visitor to the island
-a recent Syrian refugee

As for who it IS, well, laws are in place to protect minors for a reason...I think the police and the courts will do their jobs and there will be justice...(maybe not the kind of justice that many would hope for)...

 

[Spyder84]

Now he/she has been charged there will be a trial where much more will be learnt, it will be up to the judge if the POI is named or not

 

[Weeobanite]

I say name and shame! This is a really small community.. an island.. everyone knows everyone! The police have the right guy.. the locals seem to think he’s guilty and they know him.. that says it all to me. At 16 in this country he can have a job.. get married.. have children of his own.. even vote! How is he only a considered a minor when he’s commited a crime. So annoying!

 

[Malachias]

<modsnip> I live on Rothesay and am living 3 mins walk away from Alesha's grans house. It doesn't feel very safe here anymore!

edited: I deleted part of the text incase I wasn't supposed to write that other bit...

<smodsnipped-requesting pm>

 

[LietKynes]

It boggles the mind to read of the protection afforded to criminals--- I'm thinking specifically of what's been reported in the news about the murderers of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz and also further back of the killers of James Bulger.
Why ? Why such protection when there was none at all for the victim ?

Are the laws in Scotland strict enough to keep the killer of Alesha (if convicted) behind bars until he's an old man ?
Or will he "do some time"....and be released with a new identity and $$ to start a 'new life' ?
I know it sounds insane...
Although this alleged killer is older than the two killers who took little James' life.
Just want justice for this little girl and her grieving family !

 

[MsFacetious]

I say name and shame! This is a really small community.. an island.. everyone knows everyone! The police have the right guy.. the locals seem to think he’s guilty and they know him.. that says it all to me. At 16 in this country he can have a job.. get married.. have children of his own.. even vote! How is he only a considered a minor when he’s commited a crime. So annoying!

That is so interesting to me. He can't drive but is basically a legal adult in every other sense? How strange! In the US you can drive before everything else!

I've lurked on WS for a long time (since Corrie first vanished) but when I saw this case I knew I had to come see what you lot had to say.

I notice the original missing post has been removed from FB now.

Some family have removed their social media, as was advised because of the attention the case got. So that's why the initial missing post is gone too.

With a body of a child arguably in the back of a car I'm not sure worrying about the legality of driving is high on a list of priorities. This is also a rural and relatively isolated community, the rules get a little bent regarding this or youngsters learn to drive relatively competently on farms.

I have to agree that the phrase 'in connection with' indicates the Police have their eyes on others.

I definitely don't think if a teen has just murdered a child they are going to be terribly concerned about driving illegally.

 

[beatrixpotter]

I say name and shame! This is a really small community.. an island.. everyone knows everyone! The police have the right guy.. the locals seem to think he’s guilty and they know him.. that says it all to me. At 16 in this country he can have a job.. get married.. have children of his own.. even vote! How is he only a considered a minor when he’s commited a crime. So annoying!

How can the law require an entire island to keep his identity secret anyway? It's not like asking a jury to keep their mouth shut. But is it true that if his identity gets out he can get away with it? I keep hearing that but I don't get why? In two years everyone would know his name and would that mean the trial wasn't fair? I don't get it.

 

[Weeobanite]

Can anyone that knows the name of the person who had been charged send me it via PM? I live on Rothesay and am living 3 mins walk away from Alesha's house. It doesn't feel very safe here anymore!

edited: I deleted part of the text incase I wasn't supposed to write that other bit...

It boggles the mind to read of the protection afforded to criminals--- I'm thinking specifically of what's been reported in the news about the murderers of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz and also further back of the killers of James Bulger.
Why ? Why such protection when there was none at all for the victim ?

Are the laws in Scotland strict enough to keep the killer of Alesha (if convicted) behind bars until he's an old man ?
Or will he "do some time"....and be released with a new identity and $$ to start a 'new life' ?
I know it sounds insane...
And this alleged killer is older than the two killers who took little James' life.
Just want just for this little girl and her grieving family !

its just awful! Like James bulgers killers he will serve some time in jail then be given a new identity and sent somewhere lovely to live and reoffend. It just doesn’t make any sense at all.. we need to toughen up like the Americans and bring back the death penalty or if it’s life in jail it should be life ( until death ) behind bars! None of this life = 25 years and he’s out in 10 with qualifications, a new name and still young enough to enjoy the rest of his life.. something he took from poor little alesha!

 

[dotr]

Hoping this post is within TOS rules.

If one was to speculate about motive and of course in your opinion indicated with a " imo ", what might be the reason for the murder, did it happen accidentally and how?

 

[Gardenista]

I say name and shame! This is a really small community.. an island.. everyone knows everyone! The police have the right guy.. the locals seem to think he’s guilty and they know him.. that says it all to me. At 16 in this country he can have a job.. get married.. have children of his own.. even vote! How is he only a considered a minor when he’s commited a crime. So annoying!

Wait, what??? This makes no sense to me.

 

[eucalyptuz]

What kind of justice do you think outing a minor will entail? The ostracizing of his family and kin...the pursuing of his teachers, friends, babysitters...etc

He is in custody.
If the case is as open and shut as everybody seems to think it is, then he is not going anywhere. And if others need the big stick of the law, they'll be getting it...the pitchforks and flaming torches don't help anyone.
Why does it help for his whole community to be terrorized by media and SM.
We still believe in a judicial process here at Websleuths, don't we?

 

[Weeobanite]

How can the law require an entire island to keep his identity secret anyway? It's not like asking a jury to keep their mouth shut. But is it true that if his identity gets out he can get away with it? I keep hearing that but I don't get why? In two years everyone would know his name and would that mean the trial wasn't fair? I don't get it.

It’s crazy isn’t it! He can have a wife and a child and he can’t even drive.. I don’t get it at all and I’m with you on all crap about his name coming out affecting the case.. it’s utter tosh! The police have him in custody and have charged him! Nothing anyone can say will change the evidence they have against him.

 

[Weeobanite]

Wait, what??? This makes no sense to me.

It makes no sense to anyone but that’s how it works here?! Crazy!

 

[Gardenista]

What kind of justice do you think outing a minor will entail? The ostracizing of his family and kin...the pursuing of his teachers, friends, babysitters...etc

He is in custody.
If the case is as open and shut as everybody seems to think it is, then he is not going anywhere. And if others need the big stick of the law, they'll be getting it...the pitchforks and flaming torches don't help anyone.
Why does it help for his whole community to be terrorized by media and SM.
We still believe in a judicial process here at Websleuths, don't we?

Personally, I would want to know in case I had little girls who may have been in contact with him.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Personally, I would want to know in case I had little girls who may have been in contact with him.

And yes, if you lived on the Isle of Bute, you would know who it is. But does the whole world need to know? I think if there is to be a proper investigation (and a trial that has not been compromised) the rest of us can be curious, outraged and dismayed...but we don't need to know.