A new documentary has revealed how fear of a notorious crime family helped the killers of 14-year-old Caroline Glachan evade justice for almost 30 years. Caroline was found dead in the River Leven near her home in Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, in August 1996, after being attacked late at night and left for dead.
Robbie O'Brien, Donna Marie Brand, and Andrew Kelly, all from the neighbouring town of Renton, were found guilty of her murder in December 2023 at the High Court in Glasgow. The documentary, Murder Next Door: The Girl in the Water, reveals that some people were afraid to come forward because O'Brien was the stepson of a senior member of the Jennings family, a notorious local crime family.
Fear of reprisals hindered investigation
The fear of reprisals was one of the reasons the crime remained unsolved for almost 30 years, as police initially met a wall of silence from the local community. In 2013, O'Brien's step-uncle Robert Jennings from Renton was jailed for life for his part in the murders of three members of the Sharkey family, whose home was firebombed as they slept.
Seven years later, Police Scotland launched a cold case review of Caroline's murder, and the three were arrested the following year. Senior detective Michael McCarron, involved in the new probe, told the documentary: "Donna Marie Brand, Robbie O'Brien and Andrew Kelly had chaotic lifestyles involving drugs and criminality. Yet incredibly they managed to evade justice for so long."
McCarron added: "The Jennings family were notorious back then and Robbie O'Brien, he was linked to that family quite closely. His stepfather was a Jennings and they were feared. It was very difficult to get people to speak up against them."
Witnesses speak of intimidation
In the documentary, two key prosecution witnesses, mother and daughter Linda Dorrian and Emma McGinley, speak about their fears and concerns about coming forward. Emma, who was ten at the time of Caroline's murder, said: "I don't really know what the fallout could be from speaking up. I am now an adult with a child living in the area where these people almost ruled at one point. So it's like there could be backlash from this."
Linda said: "These people were known to be intimidating. We didn't want to be up at the High Court but I knew it was something I had to do. If it was my daughter I would hope somebody would go up and give their evidence." She added: "These people were known to be intimidating. I was terrified and very intimidated. Everyone knew who was involved - the talk was at the time why is the police not doing anything? Why have they not got the answers? Why have they not charged these people? Why are these people still walking the streets. The feeling was that these people were being protected."
Ian Duguid KC, who represented Robbie O'Brien at his murder trial and had also represented Robert Jennings ten years earlier, told the documentary: "When I came into the case the investigation hadn't revealed any new type of evidence. It was just the evidence of the witnesses had changed from 1996. There was a real question mark as to why people hadn't assisted the investigation back in 1996 but now they were choosing to say things in 2023."
Linda Dorrian and Emma McGinley were two of probably nine witnesses whose evidence changed between 1996 and 2023. Duguid added: "Something significant had happened for all these people who seemed decent honest people to have changed their story. I had no knowledge of Robert O'Brien being related in any way to Mr Jennings. The suggestion has been that Robert O'Brien had lost the protection of his stepfather who was some kind of criminal, gangster, overlord. So many people would have to be loyal to him and wouldn't speak out against his stepson."
Sentences and aftermath
O'Brien, Kelly, and Brand had been teenagers at the time the crime was committed. A fourth suspect, Sarah Jane O'Neil, died before she could be charged. In January 2024, the three were sentenced to life in prison. Brand died in August this year at HMP Stirling.
Caroline had been in a relationship with 18-year-old O'Brien when she was murdered. The trial heard how Brand had "threatened to batter" her after finding out O'Brien was seeing both of them. On the night of her murder, Caroline had left her home in Bonhill to meet O'Brien in nearby Renton using a path along the River Leven.
Ringleader O'Brien and accomplice Kelly were told they must serve minimum terms of 22 years and 18 years before they can be considered for parole. Robert Jennings, then 50, was convicted of the three Sharkey murders along with his co-accused Scott Snowden at the High Court in Glasgow. Jennings was told he must serve 29 years before parole consideration, and Snowden, who ordered the hit, must serve 33 years.
Trial judge Lord Matthews described their crime as the most appalling he had ever come across. Thomas Sharkey senior, his son Thomas junior, 21, and eight-year-old Bridget died after petrol was poured through the letterbox of their Helensburgh home in 2011 and set alight. Mr Sharkey's wife Angela, 48, was badly hurt but survived.
Murder Next Door: The Girl in the Water will be shown Sunday 22nd November at 9pm on Sky Crime.
