HOPES RISE OF FINDING ANSWERS IN COLD CASE COPS MAY EXHUME PAMELA'S BODY TO FIND HER MURDERER.. 40 YEARS ON

Investigators expected to try to find fresh evidence fo catch her killer at long last

- MARCELLO MEGA

COLD case experts are set to launch a fresh investigation into the death of a teenager in an attempt to discover who raped and murdered her more than 40 years ago.

The body of Pamela Hastie, who was 16 when she was strangled as she walked home from school in 1981, is expected to be exhumed in a bid to find forensic evidence unavailable to investigators at the time.

Raymond Gilmour, then 19, was tried and convicted in 1982 of the crime, in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, but his conviction was quashed on appeal after he served 20 years in jail.

A re-examination of the case was ordered by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC, who is understood to be determined to make the unsolved murders of women a priority while serving as Scotland’s senior prosecutor.

A review of the case found that Pamela’s body could still yield evidence not gathered at the time that could open new paths of investigation.

A source close to the case said: “This has been under discussion for a while and is being driven by the Crown Office, with the Lord Advocate determined to push at any door that might lead to a solution.

“If there is evidence from the body, the answer will never emerge if it is not re-examined through the eyes of forensic scientists using the latest advances they have in 2023.

“No one would underestimate how harrowing this will be for Pamela’s loved ones, and it will be demanding for all concerned, but if it cleared up the murder of a young girl, it would be worth all of that.”

It is understood that Pamela’s family have been informed and that her grave at Abbey Cemetery in Johnstone has been assessed by experts to identify if exhumation is possible.