Emma Caldwell: Public inquiry formally under way which will probe how killer Iain Packer evaded justice for almost 20 years

A public inquiry into the murder of a woman is now formally under way and will examine what went wrong in the police investigation that allowed a serial rapist to evade justice for almost 20 years.

Iain Packer murdered Emma Caldwell, 27, in 2005.

In February 2024, he was ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars after being convicted of a string of violent offences.

Alongside double-murderer Andrew Innes, it is the second longest sentence ever handed down by a Scottish court, behind the 37-year minimum jail term given to World's End killer Angus Sinclair in 2014.

Packer was found guilty of 33 offences following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, including Ms Caldwell's murder, 11 rapes and multiple sexual assaults against other women.

Following the killer's conviction, Sky News heard testimony from several former sex workers who raised concerns to police about his dangerous sexual behaviour years before Ms Caldwell was murdered.

The Scottish government last year ordered a judge-led public inquiry into the police handling of the case, which will be chaired by Lord Scott.

In an update on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Angela Constance announced it has now been formally set up and work is under way.

The inquiry will examine the investigative strategy and decision-making by what was then Strathclyde Police, including the direction given by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

It will probe what steps could reasonably have been taken that might have resulted in Packer being apprehended and prosecuted at an earlier stage, and any other factors relevant to the circumstances of the investigation and related prosecution.

The inquiry will also examine if any failings in training, procedures, operating models or systems of working contributed to any failures in the police and COPFS case.

The subsequent findings and any recommendations will be reported to Scottish ministers.

Ms Constance said: "My thoughts continue to be with Emma Caldwell's mother Margaret and her family, who have suffered unimaginable heartbreak.

"The public inquiry will look at what went wrong in the investigation of Emma's murder and I hope it will provide the answers that the family need and deserve.

"I consulted with the chair, Lord Scott, on the terms of reference for the inquiry and also met the Caldwell family and other parties to discuss the inquiry's remit.

"While these terms do not feature all of the issues raised with me during discussions, I am satisfied that they are both well focused and sufficiently flexible and broad enough to allow the chair to examine wider issues he may consider relevant to a robust, efficient and effective inquiry."

Ms Caldwell vanished in April 2005 just days after telling her mother about her hopes to defeat a heroin addiction, which began after her sister's death.

She went missing in Glasgow while working as a sex worker. Her body was discovered the following month in Limefield Woods, South Lanarkshire.

Investigating officers interviewed Packer that June but he was not convicted until almost two decades later after cold case detectives re-examined the case in 2015.

Police Scotland apologised to Ms Caldwell's family and Packer's other victims for how the original inquiry was handled by Strathclyde Police, saying they were "let down".

Margaret Caldwell, Ms Caldwell's mother, has never given up on her pursuit of the truth.

Solicitor Aamer Anwar, the family's lawyer, said: "The reference to Strathclyde Police in the terms of reference may be interpreted by some to mean that the inquiry can only deal with the police force up until, but not beyond when it became Police Scotland.

"Strathclyde Police ceased on 1 April 2013 when it merged into a single national service, as Police Scotland.

"If this inquiry is to pursue the truth, then it must look not only at Strathclyde Police, but what happened when Police Scotland took over responsibility."

Mr Anwar said Packer's survivors "deserve their place at the heart of this inquiry".

He added: "A toxic culture of misogyny and corruption meant the police failed so many women and girls who came forward to speak up against Packer.

"Instead of receiving justice and compassion, they were humiliated, dismissed and in some instances arrested, whilst the police gifted freedom to an evil predator to rape and rape again."

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