By Jane Hamilton
Contributor
A leading criminologist fears the Scottish criminal justice system is locked in a culture of denial over those believed to have been wrongly convicted.
Professor David Wilson is calling for a new investigation into a historic Scottish murder case which he believes resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
But four years after he submitted his research to Police Scotland in which he names a new suspect, Wilson claims he has not been contacted by officers and there has been a wall of silence.
Margaret McLaughlin (pictured above) was 23 when she was stabbed to death during a frenzied attack in Carluke, North Lanarkshire, in 1973.
The young woman was on her way to the train station to meet her future sister-in-law to discuss wedding arrangements when she was attacked walking through a wooded area known locally as Colonel’s Glen.
A 19-year-old fantasist named George Beattie later confessed to police that he had killed Margaret.
But a growing number of high-profile supporters have said they believe Beattie, who was known to tell tales and who served 13 years in prison before being released in 1986, is innocent.
Wilson named a new suspect in his 2020 book Signs of Murder. After publication, he shared all he had learned during a lengthy year-long investigation with Police Scotland.
He said: “There seems to be some sort of belief that the Scottish criminal justice system doesn’t have miscarriages of justice – a belief that imagines that those are problems for other countries but not for Scotland.
“That’s nonsense, as George Beattie’s case only too graphically demonstrates.
“It’s obvious he’s not guilty, and my own research reveals who the more likely suspect in Margaret McLaughlin’s murder actually was – I even interviewed that man prior to his death.
“I gave all of my research about this to Police Scotland and naively thought that they would do something to exonerate George. Nothing happened.”
The professor, a regular on ITV’s This Morning and co-presenter of In the Footsteps of Killers on Channel 4, said Margaret’s fiancé Bob Alexander stated he did not believe Beattie was guilty either.
Wilson said: “Bob Alexander also publicly stated that he had absolutely no faith in the senior investigating officer, William Muncie, or the conduct of his investigation.
“That investigation was riddled with confirmation bias, ignored evidence that pointed to George’s innocence, and consistently failed to look at other suspects – even though I interviewed detectives who worked on the case and who were convinced that they were aware of the real killer.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, who used his first speech as Scottish Conservative leader to highlight the Beattie case, said: “Having investigated this miscarriage of justice in my past job as a journalist, the first words I spoke in parliament after becoming an MSP in 2021 were ‘George Beattie is innocent’.
“I then staged a debate in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragic murder of Margaret McLaughlin, and most recently raised this stain on Scottish justice directly with the First Minister in the last week of 2024.
“I am only lending my voice to the immense and sustained efforts of many others, including veteran journalist Peter Hill, late Labour MP Jimmy Hood, and criminologist Professor David Wilson.
“It is glaringly evident that George, a gentle and decent man, did not and could not have committed this savage murder.
“I agree with the lawyer John Scott, who is now a judge, that Scotland’s justice system seems unequipped or unwilling to right such egregious wrongs as happens elsewhere in the UK.
“I also agree with George when he says that he believes he will go to his grave as a wrongly convicted murderer.
“This can only be prevented if the Crown Office and Police Scotland conduct a meaningful review of this tragic case.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The murder of Margaret McLaughlin was investigated by legacy Strathclyde Police and resulted in a man being convicted.
“As with all investigations, should anyone have any new information please contact Police Scotland via the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Any new information will be reviewed and treated on its own merits.”