Retired detective Gerry Gallacher, who exposed the Emma Caldwell murder scandal, fears he will be blocked from giving evidence at the public inquiry. He first raised concerns that Police Scotland was suppressing evidence pointing to Iain Packer as the killer.
Whistleblower's Warning
Gallacher worked with the Sunday Mail to reveal Packer as the "Forgotten Suspect" in 2015, a story that eventually led to his 2024 conviction for the 2005 murder. For years, senior officers refused to reopen the case while Packer attacked more women. Gallacher and former Sunday Mail editor Jim Wilson were placed under illegal surveillance during a mole hunt.
Gallacher said: "Limiting the terms of reference is clearly being done on purpose in order to continue covering up the full truth, and this means Emma Caldwell's family will not get the answers that they deserve."
Cover-Up Allegations
He added: "The truth is that there was a mountain of evidence pointing to Iain Packer as the killer, but this was not acted upon and was concealed for over a decade. For years a family liaison officer was being sent to tell Emma's family a pack of lies about inquiries being ongoing, when the truth is nothing was being done."
Gallacher also expressed concern that senior officers hoped Emma's mother Margaret would pass away without knowing the truth, praising her determination as "incredible" and saying it would be "a disgrace" if she was denied the full truth.
Inquiry Restrictions
The inquiry's terms of reference currently only cover the period up to 2013, before Strathclyde Police was replaced by Police Scotland. Gallacher called this "completely unacceptable," as it would exempt senior officers who concealed Packer as a suspect after the case against four Turkish men collapsed. These officers later rose to higher ranks and were involved in the unlawful gathering of his telephone data.
Packer was convicted 19 years after Emma's body was found in Limefield Woods, Lanarkshire. He had been interviewed five times in the two years after her death and admitted taking her to the remote spot. The probe instead focused on four innocent Turkish men, and a cover-up is suspected after the prosecution collapsed in 2008.
Emma's mother Margaret has joined lawyer Aamer Anwar and MSP Pauline McNeil to demand inquiry chair Lord Scott take urgent action to avoid an "expensive whitewash." The inquiry says only Scottish ministers can change the terms of reference. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The terms of reference for the Inquiry were set by Ministers following consultation with Lord Scott and having listened to a range of views, including those of the Caldwell family. Lord Scott stated at the outset of the Inquiry that he was satisfied with the terms of reference."
A spokesman for the public inquiry said: "The terms of reference for this inquiry were set by Scottish Ministers and only they have the power to vary these. Any call for the terms of reference to be expanded should be addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice."
