World’s End jury shown ‘disturbing’ images

The bodies of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie were found in East Lothian in 1977. Pictures: TSPL

A High Court jury has been shown ‘upsetting’ and ‘disturbing’ pictures of the bodies of two teenage girls who were raped and murdered 37 years ago.

Angus Sinclair, 69, is on trial at Livingston High Court for the rape and murder of Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, both 17, who were last seen in the World’s End pub in the High Street in Edinburgh on the night of October 15, 1977.

Their bodies were found a few miles apart in East Lothian on the morning of October 16. Both had been strangled with items of their own clothing.

Today, just days short of the anniversary of the murders, jurors viewed distressing images of the bodies, and were taken through details of their injuries.

Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, prosecuting, suggested that family members might wish to leave the court before the images were presented to the court.

But trial judge Lord Matthews suggested that it would not be fair to ask relatives of the two girls to leave if they wished to hear the evidence, and they agreed that the images would be shown to the jury but not put up on the screens on either side of the court visible to the public.

The Lord Advocate warned jurors the images would be ‘upsetting and disturbing’ and many among the nine women and six men were clearly moved, with one clearly upset at the images and covering her mouth with her hand.

Bearded Sinclair sat in the dock at Livingston with his eyes closed for much of the day’s proceedings.

The first day was taken up entirely with photographic evidence, the jury viewing the upsetting images of the bodies, the ligatures allegedly used to strangle them, and images of intimate swabs taken from their bodies.

Earlier, the jury had been shown where the bodies of the teenagers were left 37 years ago.

Retired police map maker Thomas Graveson, 66, said he had marked two sites in East Lothian where Christine and Helen were discovered dead.