The grieving mother of murdered Clydebank teenager Paige Doherty has opened up about the days and weeks after her daughter’s death in a frank and open social media post.
Published late last night, Pamela Munro criticised the post-mortem process which took so long in the 15-year-old’s body being given back to her family.
Ms Munro also hit out at a “cruel and wrong” second post-mortem, something she said she is trying to change with Paige’s Law.
The heartbroken mother also described how the family was forced to kiss “a box goodbye instead of our little girl” after a month-long wait.
Fifteen-year-old Paige was killed in a vicious knife attack by 32-year-old John Leathem inside his Clydebank deli on March 19 of last year.
Her body was discovered two days later in bushes at the side of Great Western Road, a busy route connecting Clydebank and Glasgow.
Her family finally got the chance to lay her to rest after a service on April 20.
READ MORE: Paige Doherty's mum gives birth to baby girl and names her after tragic teen
Ms Munro also highlighted a law that allows the defence 110 days to perform a second post-mortem, something which she says dashed her hopes of being able to give her daughter an open casket service.
Recalling the day she was called in to identify her daughter, Ms Munro wrote: “We identified her the 22nd March by a television screen.
“We never got to see her that day.
“On the 24th March after her post mortem from the crown was completed, we had a viewing of her body.
“I was so grateful I could see our little girl.
“That’s all we could do was see her.
“We couldn’t hold her or lift her to cuddle her we cud touch one side of her face and asked not to take pics of her and not to look at her neck injury.
“She was in fact property of the crown.
“We stayed for 10 minutes because we were told that for her body to keep in tact and not deteriorate to spend as little time as possible and it would give us more chance of having an open coffin.
“Of course we were aware that there was a good chance because of the extent of Paige’s injuries that we wouldn’t get the open coffin.
“The fate of that lay with the defence lawyers. a man had been arrested and he was entitled to have a post mortem on his behalf.
“Someone took our little girls life, yet the chance of us having her home for her brother and sister to see and say goodbye, that lay with the defence not us.
“We had to wait until they decided they were doing a post mortem and when it would be.”
Ms Munro then went on to write about the family’s devastation at receiving a call telling her an open coffin for the teenager would not be possible after a second post-mortem.
She continued: “Paige’s body couldn’t cope with that 2nd post mortem she was far to little with far too severe injuries to stand that after so long a time.
READ MORE: Paige Doherty's teenage cousin killed in horror train accident as tributes pour in
“Bearing in mind because awaiting second post mortem she couldn’t be embalmed.
“I believe post mortems for the crown and defence should be done within a timescale.
“If we hadn’t had to wait that month Paige could have came home where she belonged for everyone to give a kiss.
“They take away every last bit of dignity opening her up twice and with a month in between.
“It’s cruel and its wrong. Families shouldn’t face this at a time of devastation.
“I’ve said from day one we want #paigeslaw and i believe one day we will get it and other families will hopefully not face the length of time we did which ultimately resulted in us spending 30 minutes altogether with our princess in the space of a month and kissing a box goodbye instead of our little girl.”
Leathem was sentenced to 27 years behind bars for carrying out the attack but, after an appeal, his sentence has been reduced by four years.
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