A WOMAN called for a referendum on capital punishment after her

daughter's killer had been jailed for life, with a recommendation that

he serve at least 15 years.

Mrs Marguerite Adam was speaking after a judge had jailed Edward

Mullen for the murder which shocked a quiet Ayrshire town saying: ''I

consider that at present you are a danger to the public.''

Mullen, 25, of Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride, admitted the murder of

Mrs Yvette Wilson, 27, on January 19 in a bothy at the town's railway

station.

The High Court at Kilmarnock heard that Mrs Wilson, a waitress at

Inverkip Marina and part-time design student, had been on her way to an

evening out with friends when she was grabbed by Mullen. She was taken

into an outhouse known locally as the bothy, where a scarf was placed

round her neck then stuffed into her mouth, suffocating her. The body

was later burned beyond recongition.

Defence counsel Donald Findlay, QC, said that, following careful

consideration of the evidence and consultation with his client, he was

tendering pleas of guilty to murder and not guilty to two charges of

breach of the peace, one of theft and another of setting fire to Mrs

Wilson's body with intent to defeat the ends of justice. These were

accepted by advocate depute Iain Bonomy, QC, on behalf of the Crown.

Later Mrs Adam expressed her anger and bitterness at the ''mutation''

who had killed her daughter, and as well as calling for the restoration

of capital punishment, was critical of the railway authorities for

de-manning stations like West Kilbride.

She was joined in her criticism of ''lonely, dark railway stations''

by local MP Brian Wilson, who is also demanding an inquiry into why

Mullen was released early from a prison sentence for violent sex

offences and allowed into the community without any supervision.

The court was told by Mr Bonomy that Mullen had moved to West Kilbride

in December 1994 and was unemployed, living in a bedsit near the railway

station. He added: ''The accused was convicted of a number of offences,

including violence, in 1986, then in September 1991, at the High Court

in Glasgow, was convicted of assault and robbery and assault with intent

to ravish and was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment.''

Mullen was released from Peterhead prison in June 1994 -- having been

given remission -- and lived in Ardrossan, then West Kilbride.

Mr Bonomy described how Mrs Wilson, recently estranged from her

husband, had arranged a night out with friends in Largs on January 19

and was to meet a friend on the train, which she would board at West

Kilbride.

She never made the appointment and, two days later, her purse was

found near the station and her estranged husband reported her missing

after finding that her dogs had not been fed.

Mr Bonomy said: ''That evening, British Transport Police on routine

mobile patrol went into the bothy, which was open . . . they discovered

the body of Yvette Wilson lying on the floor with her knees drawn up and

legs wide apart.''

The advocate depute went on to describe how paper, wood and paint had

been piled on the body and set on fire. ''Her upper torso and head were

incinerated . . . her facial features were burned beyond recognition.''

He said that a copy of the Sun newspaper, opened at Page 3 and showing

the almost nude figure of a young woman, was lying between Mrs Wilson's

legs.

She was finally identified by her jewellery and by DNA testing. A post

mortem examination showed that she had died from asphyxiation and the

burning of the body took place after death.

The court heard that, on the night of the murder, Mullen had left his

flat and later that evening had spent time drinking and playing pool in

a local public house, as well as travelling to Ardrossan to buy

cannabis.

His fingerprints were found on the door of the bothy and those of his

then girlfriend were found on the newspaper fragments. Mr Bonomy

described how Mullen had broken down crying and admitted his involvement

in the murder, saying that he had put the scarf around her mouth and

neck to keep her quiet.

Mr Bonomy said that Mullen had told police of ''urges to harm people,

mainly women'' which he had kept under control, but added that there was

no record of Mullen seeking psychiatric help at Peterhead.

He said that, for some weeks before the killing, Mullen had shown

particular interest in the movements of young women around the station,

but that this was never reported to police. ''With hindsight, that is

perhaps a pity.''

Mr Findlay said that, in all his dealings with Mullen, he had admitted

his part in the killing and that, while offering no explanation, showed

''considerable regret and contrition''.

He added: ''On the subject of the newspaper, I would point out that,

while some people may derive a perverted pleasure from broadcasting

details of this, there was no relevance in the paper, which had been

grabbed from his flat and taken to the bothy. It could have been open at

any page.''

Mr Findlay said that his client had sought psychiatric help in

Peterhead, but there had been no interest shown, and that he had gone to

a GP to tell him that he was having trouble adjusting to life on the

outside.

He added: ''While Mr Mullen has not given me any explanation, he has

expressed his sympathy to the family of the deceased . . . anyone who

thinks it is easy to plead guilty to murder is not living in the real

world . . . he has shown considerable fortitude and courage in taking

this course.''

Mrs Marguerite Adam dismissed the apology and added later: ''They talk

about people getting a second chance. Where is my daughter's second

chance -- resurrection?

''I have always believed in capital punishment and, after this, I have

never been surer. It was not meant as a deterrent but to rid society of

the kind of people who do this.

''I am not talking about things done in the heat of the moment, but

this murder was not like that. Now we will all have to pay to keep this

mutation in prison for 15 years. The time has come for consideration to

be given to the victims and those they leave behind. The do-gooders and

bleeding hearts have had their say, now let the people speak in a

referendum on capital punishment. The results might just surprise

everyone.''

Mrs Adam accused ScotRail of ''penny pinching'' in the de-manning of

stations and it was backed by Brian Wilson MP, who said: ''It is just

crazy that these stations are being turned into dark, lonely places

where people are not safe. For months before this tragic case, ScotRail

and Railtrack were arguing over who was responsible for the lighting.''

He is also to press the Lord Advocate for an inquiry into why Mullen

was released early and not given any supervision, despite ''the nature

of his offences and his obvious predilection for behaviour like this.''

A spokesman for ScotRail said: ''We have every sympathy for Mrs Adam

and her family and are gratified that the court case has ended in a

conviction.

''Throughout Scotland there are 332 railway stations, of which 146 are

manned. ScotRail does not believe it would be feasible to man the other

186. ScotRail puts considerable emphasis on safety in stations and

co-operates in this field with British Transport Police. Good lighting

and the increased use of closed circuit television have resulted in a

good general standard of safety in Scottish stations.''

Mrs Adam praised Strathclyde Police, on whose behalf Superintendent

Louis Munn said: ''This was a brutal murder which was particularly

harrowing for everyone in the inquiry team.

''The response from a community shocked by this crime was excellent

and the police and local people worked closely together. It is a tribute

to the dedication and professionalism of every officer, in particular

members of the forensic team, that this inquiry reached such a speedy

conclusion.''