Man sentenced to minimum of 22 years in jail for Amber Gibson murder
Connor Gibson, 21, was found guilty of murdering and sexually assaulting his sister Amber Gibson in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Last updated 4th Sep 2023
A man convicted of the murder and sexual assault of his sister in a "depraved" attack has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years.
Connor Gibson, 21, was found guilty of attacking Amber Gibson in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26 2021, removing her clothes, sexually assaulting her with the intention of raping her, inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body, and strangling her following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Livingston on Monday.
READ MORE: Man found guilty of sexually assaulting and killing teenage sister in Hamilton
Stephen Corrigan, 45, who was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice and breach of the peace by intimately touching and concealing Amber's body after discovering her at some point in the following two days, instead of contacting the emergency services, was jailed for nine years at the same court.
Following the 13-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow in July, Judge Lord Mullholland told Gibson he faces a mandatory life sentence, with the minimum number of years behind bars to be decided after considering reports and the plea in mitigation on his behalf.
Amber, 16, was reported missing on the evening of November 26 and her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen in Hamilton two days later on November 28 at 10.10am.
READ MORE: Connor Gibson goes on trial accused of murdering teenage sister in Hamilton
Chilling Facebook tribute
Gibson was arrested three days later, on December 1, and, the day before his arrest, posted a chilling tribute to the sister he had murdered, writing on Facebook: "Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time.
"We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN (goodbye for now) X."
During the trial, the court hear how evidence from forensic pathologists showed Amber had died as a result of compression of the neck.
READ MORE: Murder trial hears blood-stained clothes found in wheelie bin outside Amber Gibson's home
'The most giving, loving, supportive and admirable person'
When Gibson was convicted, the former foster family of both siblings said in a statement that Amber was "the most giving, loving, supportive and admirable person", and their life will "never be the same again".
The family said: "She kept us on our toes and had the most amazing outlook on life consider the suffering she had experienced."
The statement continued: "When they arrived at our home - Amber aged three and Connor aged five - Connor stated: 'We are safe now'.
"They were until he took her safety away."
'Brutally robbed of her future'
Professor Soumen Sengupta, director of health and social care with South Lanarkshire Council, said: "This has been a desperately sad and distressing case and our thoughts remain with everyone who loved and cared for Amber, and who continue to mourn her.
"She had her whole life ahead of her and it is truly tragic that she was so brutally robbed of her future.
"As previously advised, all aspects of Amber's care are the subject of an independent review and we are committed to the publication of appropriate outcomes of that review once we are able to release them."
'Distressing and impossible to comprehend'
Scotland’s procurator fiscal for homicide, Moira Orr, commented on today's sentencing of Connor Gibson and Stephen Corrigan.
She said: “The circumstances of Amber Gibson’s death are both distressing and impossible to comprehend.
“This 16-year-old girl, with her whole life ahead of her, should have been protected by her older brother, Connor Gibson. Yet he assaulted and murdered her.
“And after murdering her, he abandoned her body in a public park, where a stranger – Stephen Corrigan – violated her further.
“As prosecutors, we have worked hard to deliver justice for Amber. The COPFS team used every tool at our disposal to ensure these two men face the consequences of their despicable actions.
“But now our thoughts are of Amber Gibson and we offer condolences to everyone who loved her.”