ALESHA MacPhail's grieving uncle has told of his frustration after a petition to have dangerous teen criminals "tried as adults" has been shut down.

Calum MacPhail launched a desperate plea last night after his 9000-signed online campaign was suddenly removed by hosts of e-petition site 38 Degrees.

Sharing a Facebook video, heartbroken Calum, also known as CJ, said: "Thank you very much for the support, for sharing the video and for signing the petition.

"Unfortunately today I have been online just keeping up to date with how the petition had been going.

"It had reached roughly around about 9000 people and then I went on to look at it again and noticed that 38 Degrees have now taken off this petition.

"It means that all the signatures that I had already previously gathered are now gone and 38 Degrees have not notified me as to why they've taken it down.

"All that comes up is that this petition is currently unavailable and is under review by their team.

"I've contacted 38 Degrees and I've called them tonight and they've told me they don't know why it's been taken down.

"They've not got any reason as to why they took it down so what I've done is I've given them my details to get in contact with me and to be sent to head office."

Calum, from the South Side, took to social media this weekend after evil Aaron Campbell was jailed for 27 years for the murder and rape of the schoolgirl on Bute last year.

The 28-year-old created a petition calling on the Scottish Government to change the law after his niece's 16-year-old killer was handed a juvenile sentence over the horrific and sadistic crime.

The petition states: "I want the Scottish and UK law to be changed that anyone over the age of 16 is able to be handed down a full adult sentence and not as a child if they have committed a serious crime such as murder, rape or abduction and be able to receive the full punishment part of a sentence as an adult, as in the UK you can get married at 16, you can join the army at 16 and you can even leave home at 16.

"I believe if you can make these choices at the age of 16 and you commit such horrendous crimes you're old enough to receive the full sentencing as an adult."

It comes after devastated Calum shared a heart rending Youtube video of the happy six-year-old before her untimely death.

In an emotional video message, he also tore into Campbell after he finally admitted to his abhorrent crimes.

Last night Calum, the brother of Alesha's dad Robert, urged those who signed the original campaign to resign a fresh petition he had launched through change.org.

Calum continued: "Sorry to be having to ask everyone to sign this again but it's a really important matter and it's important to me.

"I really need this so that I can kind of take it further and make sure that the voice of everyone who's signed it is already getting heard.

"This does affect everyone's family and it's going to affect future families - it really is something that is really serious and it really needs to be changed.

"Hopefully I will hear back from 38 Degrees but it's shocking that they've taken it down."

Determined Calum thanked supporters of his campaign as they flooded to Facebook and vowed to sign his new petition for a second time.

A victim impact statement was read out on behalf of Alesha’s grandparents Callum MacPhail and Angela King as Campbell was sentenced to 27 years last Thursday.

It said: “We are utterly devastated. Alesha was a beautiful, smart, funny and kind girl. We are traumatised.

“We do not see how we can live a normal life. Her future was taken and so was ours.”

A spokeswoman for 38 degrees said they cannot host petitions involving criminal cases.

She added: "We did email Callum, the petition starter, yesterday morning and put up a notice on the URL of the petition to explain why we could not host it."

To sign Calum's petition, see: https://www.change.org/p/scottish-goverment-over-16-s-to-be-able-to-receive-full-punishment-sentencing-as-adults?fbclid=IwAR3C3JDQTk5pejeA3__0KGhvETdAfrce_bSHL0Prt0JT5lvm9FJ7HJne3w0