Top brass dismissed our suspicions about Emma's killer, say former officers

Published: 00:44, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 00:47, 6 April 2026 FORMER detectives involved in the initial investigation into the murder of Emma Caldwell have said their suspicions about her killer Iain Packer were ignored by superiors. The 27-year-old was killed in 2005 but it was not until 2024 that Packer was convicted of the murder, along with a string of sexual offences against other women. Two detectives who were involved in Operation Grail – the police name for the investigation – have said they and the vast majority of their colleagues in 2005 were sure of Packer’s guilt, with one saying he was ‘100 per cent certain’. A group of Turkish men were instead arrested in 2007 in relation to Ms Caldwell’s murder, but the case against them collapsed. The former detectives spoke to a podcast series which is examining the deaths of a number of women involved in prostitution around Glasgow in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Beware Book podcast examines the deaths of eight women during the period, four of which remain unsolved. The podcast takes its name from a journal which was used by women involved in prostitution to warn each other about potentially dangerous or suspicious clients. Former detective Davie Barr accompanied the podcast hosts to Limefield Woods near Biggar, the site where Ms Caldwell’s body was found in 2005. Emma Caldwell, 27, was murdered in 2005 Iain Packer was sentenced in February 2024 for the murder of Emma Caldwell and multiple rapes and sexual attacks against other victims - but was previously dismissed as a suspect Emma Caldwell's body was found in a woodland in South Lanarkshire five weeks after she was last seen in Glasgow city centre He said he was convinced that Packer was the killer, even phoning his senior investigating officer at home to tell him this, but was told ‘he’ll never be accused’. Packer had even told Mr Barr that he had brought Ms Caldwell to Limefield Woods, an admission which had shocked the detective. Mr Barr said: ‘Everybody felt the same. Now I’m talking about people in the incident room, sergeants, inspectors, people who had been in the job a lot longer than me... ‘I kid you not, every day in life in that incident room we would speak about it. How can it not be him?’ He continued: ‘The really pathetic thing is that other people suffered, other girls were sexually assaulted, in the years that he’s been free, which is unacceptable. ‘Other people should be ashamed of their actions, for what they did.’ Mr Barr added: ‘I can’t speak for everybody.’ ‘But I’m pretty sure if you gathered every single officer who worked in Operation Grail, there was only one person that didn’t think Iain Packer was responsible, and that was the SIO (senior investigating officer), who was getting directions from elsewhere. ‘You know, we were told, it’s not him, just got on with it. ‘Later on in my service, I think I’d have questioned things a lot more. It wouldn’t have made any difference.’ Another former detective, Stuart Hall, also spoke of his certainty that Packer was the killer, telling the podcast that he felt ‘this is the guy’. He said: ‘There was a colleague coming down the stairs and he says, well, what would you think? Yeah, I said. It was him. 100 per cent, I’m certain it’s him.’ Mr Hall continued: ‘It wasn’t until later on that I was taken into the boss’s room, the superintendent’s room, where the acting detective inspector put it to me, or instructed me, I have to do no more work on Packer.’ The latest episode of Beware Book will be available on podcast apps today. A public inquiry, chaired by Lord Scott, KC, is due to examine the police investigation into the murder. Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said of the podcast: ‘Emma Caldwell’s family have shown incredible courage and determination following her murder in 2005 and we are absolutely committed to supporting the inquiry and getting her loved ones the answers they deserve.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.