Number of murders doubles

Senior News Reporter

Tuesday 14 June 2011

A POLICE force area where a mother stabbed her three children to death recorded the largest rise in murders in Scotland last year, with twice its average figure.

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BRIAN DONNELLY

Twenty murders took place in Lothian and Borders between April 2010 and March this year. They included the killing by Theresa Riggi of her twin sons Austin and Luke, eight, and her five-year-old daughter Cecilia in Edinburgh last August.

The case was originally treated as a murder inquiry, although Riggi, 47, pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.Police said that despite the 100% increase on the three-year average benchmark, arrests had been made in all but one case.The only murder case during the period covered by the report in which no arrests have been made was that of Lee Duncan, 31. He was found dead in his flat in Lauriston Place in February. A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of lecturer Roger Gray, 64, who was discovered in his property in the city’s Merchiston area in March. A 26-year-old was charged with murdering Alan Ross, 45, whose body was found by firefighters when they were called to a blaze at a house in Pilton Drive North in February. Other murders included that of Dale Bennett, 17, who died after an incident in Newbyres Crescent, Gorebridge, in February.The figures were contained in a report set before an audit and scrutiny committee made up of councillors from across the force area yesterday.It was the first of its kind in the force and will be used to provide more detailed analysis of performance.The report showed an overall rise of 15% in recorded violent crime compared with last year and a 7% increase compared to the three-year average.There were 200 rapes across the region during the period covered, up 19% on the year before.Strathclyde had 59 murders over the period compared to 43 the year before, and Grampian Police recorded five murders, the same as the previous 12 months. Lothian and Borders Police Board convener Iain Whyte said: “The murders issue is a significant one, particularly for a force to deal with in terms of the number of officers that have to be dedicated to murder investigations.”SNP councillor and a scrutiny committee member Stefan Tymkewycz said he welcomed the increase in detection rates, with more than two-thirds of cases prosecuted, but was concerned about the increase in the number of murders.He said: “Lothian and Borders Police must be congratulated on the work they are doing to make our streets safer places, but there are some figures that raise concern, in that reported rape and murder cases increased over this period.“I will question the Chief Constable, David Strang, on more details of these increases when I attend the next Police Board meeting.”There were 10 murders in the region in 2009. Thirteen murders were committed in the city of Edinburgh last year, compared to an average of six.Three gangland figures were among 79 arrests of people believed to be involved in organised crime and there were high-value seizures of drugs worth more than £2 million and of criminal assets.Detective Chief Superintendent Malcolm Graham, responsible for all murder and serious crime investigations across the Lothian and Borders area, added: “We recognise that there has been an unusually high number of murders across the Force area over the past year, in comparison to previous years.“Every murder has a very significant impact on the local community, and is a critical incident for the force, resulting in a comprehensive response to trace those responsible.”‘‘

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Number of murders doubles

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