Caroline Glachan murder accused says he "never killed her"

A murder suspect claimed he did not leave a woman’s home the night he was allegedly involved in the killing of a schoolgirl.

45 year-old Robert O’Brien was arrested in November 2021 after police re-investigated the death of Caroline Glachan over two decades earlier.

O’Brien was said to have been in a relationship with the 14 year-old at the time.

David Barr - a now retired detective constable - was one of the officers who interviewed O’Brien in 2021.

The witness stated the suspect remarked on being arrested: “I never killed her.”

Further quizzed during eight-hours of questioning, O’Brien said: “I was in Betty’s all night.”

This was in reference to the home of Elizabeth Wilson - known as Betty - who arranged to have her two sons babysat that night by O’Brien’s co-accused Andrew Kelly and his then girlfriend Sarah Jane O’Neill.

Jurors at the High Court in Glasgow have earlier heard evidence that the mum’s four and half year-old boy Archie claimed he had seen a “lassie” get “battered” and fall into water on the date of the alleged murder.

In his interview, O’Brien said he never left the street where Miss Wilson lived.

Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC put to former DC Barr: “Throughout the interview his position was that he was in Betty Wilson’s all night and did not leave until the following morning?”

He replied: “Yes.”

O’Brien’s lawyer Ian Duguid KC later stated to the witness that the suspect had instead remarked to police: “I never killed anyone in my life.”

The witness said that was not what O’Brien initially commented although it did appear during the interview, he was trying to correct the now retired detective.

Jurors heard today how Kelly and the other co-accused 44 year-old Donna Marie Brand, were also arrested in November 2021.

Both also insisted they had been at Miss Wilson’s home at the time of the killing.

The court was told Kelly spoke of Caroline with “some affection” during his interview.

Brand meantime claimed it was “utter c**p” and “nonsense” that she and others had been witnessed leaving the property that night.

Mr Prentice went on to tell jurors he did not intend to call any more prosecution witnesses in the case.

He withdrew a separate charge that O’Brien assaulted Caroline on various occasions in 1996.

Mr Prentice: “With that I close the Crown case.”

The trio deny murdering Caroline at the River Leven in West Dunbartonshire on August 25 1996.

The trial, before judge Lord Braid, continues.

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