A man convicted of the murder and sexual assault of his teenage sister in a “depraved” attack has been jailed for life.
Connor Gibson, 21, was found guilty of attacking his sister Amber Gibson in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26 2021,
Gibson stripped his 16-year-old victim before sexually assaulting her. He then beat and strangled her, leaving her body in a park.
READ MORE: Council probe into Amber Gibson's care is underway
He was found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Gibson was handed a life sentence and ordered to spend a minimum of 22 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole when he was sentenced at the High Court in Livingston on Monday.
Connor Gibson
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.
READ MORE: Man who raped murdered teen before her death jailed
Following Gibson’s conviction, judge Lord Mulholland described the crime, which happened in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26 2021 as “depraved”.
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.
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.”
Amber Gibson and Connor were spotted on CCTV (Pic: Crown Office)
During the trial, the court heard how evidence from forensic pathologists showed Amber had died as a result of compression of the neck.
In mitigation, Tony Graham KC, representing Gibson, told the court how he had been abused in his early years and had endured a “narrative of emotional abuse and neglect”.
Mr Graham said: “I make reference to these matters to reconcile how a brother can act in such a way.”
In a separate case, it emerged that Amber was raped five months before she was murdered by her brother.
Jamie Starrs, 20, assaulted Amber Gibson and raped her while she was asleep or unconscious at a property in Bothwell in June 2021 and was jailed for 10 and a half years last month after being convicted following a trial.
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 considering 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.”
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