Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into one of Scotland's most notorious and chilling murder cases, an event that shook Edinburgh and the nation to its core. It’s the story of the "World's End Murders," which occurred on the 16th of October, 1977. This tragic case involved the brutal deaths of two 17-year-old girls, Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, after they were last seen alive leaving the World's End pub in Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.

That fateful evening began innocently enough for the two girls. They were out for a night of fun, socializing with friends, and like many young people at the time, they ended up at the World's End pub. But little did anyone know, this would be the last time Christine and Helen would be seen alive. The next morning, the bodies of both girls were found miles apart—Christine at Gosford Bay in East Lothian, and Helen in a nearby cornfield. Both had been horrifically beaten, gagged, raped, and strangled. Their killers left them exposed, making no effort to hide their terrible crimes.

The case immediately triggered a massive police investigation, but despite the best efforts of the Lothian and Borders Police, it would be decades before justice was served. Over 500 suspects were interviewed, and thousands of witness statements were collected. Yet, despite these efforts, the leads ran cold, and the case was scaled back in 1978. For years, the families of Christine Eadie and Helen Scott lived with the unbearable pain of knowing the killers remained at large.

The case gained renewed attention in the late 1990s, with the advent of DNA technology. A cold case review led to the discovery of new forensic evidence—DNA samples taken from the crime scenes provided a breakthrough. This allowed investigators to piece together clues that pointed to a known criminal: Angus Robertson Sinclair.

Sinclair was no stranger to violence. In fact, his criminal record was deeply disturbing. At just 16 years old, in 1961, he had been convicted of the culpable homicide of an eight-year-old girl in Glasgow, a crime for which he served six years in prison. Following his release, Sinclair continued to commit horrific acts of violence, including the 1978 murder of Mary Gallacher, a 17-year-old girl in Glasgow, for which he was sentenced to life in 2001. In addition to these crimes, he was believed to have committed several other murders between 1977 and 1978.

In 2005, Sinclair was charged with the murders of Christine Eadie and Helen Scott after his DNA was matched to samples taken from both girls. His trial began in 2007, but the case would take a frustrating and controversial turn. Due to what was deemed insufficient evidence to prove beyond doubt that the sexual encounters were non-consensual, the presiding judge, Lord Clarke, upheld a defense submission of "no case to answer," and Sinclair was acquitted.

This ruling caused outrage, and public outcry pushed for legal reform. The acquittal spurred an overhaul of the Scottish legal system, leading to the reform of the "double jeopardy" law, which had previously prevented individuals from being tried twice for the same crime. This change paved the way for Sinclair's retrial in 2014 under the new Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act.

In October 2014, Angus Sinclair was once again brought before the High Court. This time, with the full weight of forensic evidence and expert testimony, the case was presented in a more comprehensive manner. The prosecution, led by the Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, meticulously demonstrated how Sinclair and his brother-in-law, Gordon Hamilton (now deceased), had abducted, raped, and murdered the two girls. On November 14th, 2014, Sinclair was found guilty of both murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 37 years—the longest sentence ever handed down by a Scottish court.

This verdict finally brought a sense of justice to the families of Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, though the shadow of the World’s End Murders continues to linger in Edinburgh’s memory. Angus Sinclair died in prison in 2019, having spent the last years of his life behind bars for the atrocities he committed.

The World's End Murders were a defining moment in Scottish criminal history, not only for the brutality of the crimes but for the legal precedents they set. It took nearly four decades for justice to be served, and the case remains a reminder of the tireless pursuit of truth and justice.

Thank you for joining us on this deeply somber but important episode of This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald, and as always, Haste Ye Back.

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