Trial shown body parts 'wrapping'

Vicky Hamilton was last seen alive more than 17 years ago

The trial of a man accused of murdering schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton has been shown photographs of items alleged to have covered body parts.

Jurors were warned that the photographs of various "wrappings" may be distressing.

Bin liners, clothing and part of a head were among the items said to be featured in the pictures shown to the jury at the High Court in Dundee.

Peter Tobin, 62, denies any involvement in the 15-year-old's death.

He has lodged a special defence of alibi and claims he was in the Portsmouth area when she disappeared more than 17 years ago.

Alan Murray, a police photographer, was giving evidence on the third day of the trial.

He told the court he took photographs of the items in December last year at the Howdenhall science laboratory in Edinburgh.

The trial was firstly shown a number of photographs of black and green bin liners.

Attic search

Some were contained in brown evidence bags, while others had been stored in boxes - some marked "health hazard".

Solicitor General Frank Mulholland QC, prosecuting, also showed the court photographs of material which he said was from a curtain.

Photographs of items of clothing, including a sweatshirt were also presented in court.

Mr Tobin's defence counsel, Donald Findlay QC, questioned Mr Murray over police searches undertaken last year at the Bathgate house prosecutors claim was occupied by the accused.

On Tuesday the court heard a knife was found in the attic of the house.

Comparing police photographs taken at different stages of the attic search, Mr Findlay said it appeared items had been removed and then not returned to the places they were found.

He said a pole and three jars were among a number of items which appeared to have been replaced in different positions.

Jurors were shown images of the garden at Irvine Drive in Margate

Mr Murray agreed with Mr Findlay that some items in the attic "have been moved and for some reason replaced in a different location from where they were actually found".

Mr Findlay put it to Mr Murray that it was "not normal practice" for the police to move an item for the purposes of a photograph and then replace it in a "totally different location".

"No sir," Mr Murray said.

Jurors were later shown a series of photographs of a garden at 50 Irvine Drive in Margate, Kent.

Among the images were pictures of a pit taken in November last year.

One photograph was said by Mr Mulholland to show an "excavation" of part of the garden beside a small shed at the back of the property.

Det Con Alan Benett, 45, agreed with the QC that forensic archaeologists, police officers and scenes of crime officers had been at the scene of the excavation.

'Russian dolls'

The prosecutor then warned the court about the nature of the photographs he was preparing to show, saying they would depict the recovery of plastic bags "in which a body was contained".

The photographs were only shown to the jury as they were deemed too shocking to put on general view.

The jurors saw photographs of two separate bundles, wrapped in black plastic, tangled with roots, and another of the hole with one of the bundles removed.

Police found that the black bags contained other black and green plastic bags.

"An outer liner, then another one, then another one like Russian dolls," Mr Mulholland said.

Drawing attention to another photo he asked: "We can see part of a head, is that correct?"

Mr Bennett agreed.

Bin bags

Mr Tobin is accused of abducting Vicky and taking her to Robertson Avenue, Bathgate, West Lothian, on 10 February 1991, which the Crown alleges was then occupied by him.

The charge says that there or elsewhere he drugged her, struggled with her, compressed her neck, indecently assaulted her and murdered her.

He is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice. It is claimed that he concealed Vicky's body and removed and disposed of a number of items of her clothing and footwear.

He is also accused of cutting her body in two and wrapping it in coverings and bin bags.

Mr Tobin denies all the charges against him and pleads alibi, saying that between 1700 GMT and midnight on 10 February 1991, he was in the Portsmouth area and was thereafter travelling to Scotland, arriving in Edinburgh at 0630 GMT the following day.