CONVICTED rapist Graham McGill has been jailed for life for the murder of a mum-of-11 in her Glasgow home more than 36 years ago.
The 56-year-old must serve a minimum of 14 years in prison after he was sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen on Tuesday for the murder of Mary McLaughlin.
McGill followed 58-year-old Mary home into her flat in Crathie Court, Partick in September 1984 where he killed her by strangling her with the cord from her dressing gown.
Her body was found six days later when her son Martin Cullen went to visit.
Mary was lying on her back on her bed wearing a green dress and with the ligature tightly wound her neck three times.
McGill was previously found guilty of the murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
He was charged with murder in 2019 after a new investigation into the killing, under the direction of the Procurator Fiscal, matched his DNA to that found on items belonging to Ms McLaughlin.
Serial offender McGill was serving a prison sentence for another crime at the time of the killing but had been granted home leave in preparation for his release.
Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime David Green said: “This was a challenging investigation requiring complex and thorough work by specialist prosecutors.
“Under their direction, experts in forensic science saw an opportunity to use modern DNA techniques to analyse evidence from the scene that had been preserved by the original investigating officers before such techniques were available to them. This foresight ultimately led to Graham McGill’s conviction.
“Unresolved homicides are never closed, and the Crown is committed to working with police to bring these cases to court wherever possible.
“Our thoughts remain with Mary’s family, and I hope the sentence imposed today goes some way towards providing resolution for them.”
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