Prostitute murder trial reviewed

The Jacqueline Gallagher case is to be discussed

The Crown Office is considering its position after a High Court jury gave not proven verdicts in the case of a man accused of murdering a prostitute.

George Johnstone, 43, of Erskine, was cleared of the murder of Jacqueline Gallagher in Glasgow in 1996.

The jury's decision raised questions about who did kill the woman.

The Crown Office said it would discuss the case with Strathclyde Police to see if there were any further lines of inquiry to be pursued.

Johnstone had been accused of murdering Miss Gallagher eight years ago and of trying to defeat the ends of justice by concealing her body.

However, a jury at the High Court in Glasgow returned not proven verdicts by a majority on both counts.

The procurator fiscal will now discuss with Strathclyde Police if there are any further lines of inquiry to be pursued at this stage Crown Office spokesman

Johnstone, who still has to serve one year of a three-year jail sentence resulting from a fatal road crash, told the court that he was a customer of Miss Gallagher's but also regarded her as a friend.

He said he had sex with Miss Gallagher about twice a week for up to four months prior to her death.

The former kitchen fitter said he last saw Miss Gallagher when he dropped her off in Glasgow's red light district in the early hours of 23 June, 1996.

Her body was discovered the following morning on a grass verge near a bus stop.

Tests later found traces of Johnstone's semen on Miss Gallagher's clothing.

However, the jury decided the DNA evidence was insufficient to convict Johnstone of her murder.

A spokesman said: "The procurator fiscal will now discuss with Strathclyde Police if there are any further lines of inquiry to be pursued at this stage."

Strathclyde Police has not commented on the verdict.