The horrific murder of Caroline Glachan that was solved 30 years later by four-year-old's statement
The body of schoolgirl Caroline Glachan, 14, was found on the banks of the River Leven in Renton on 25 August, 1996.
It wasn't until 2023 when three people were found guilty of her murder - Robert O’Brien, Donna Marie Brand, and Andrew Kelly - who were served life sentences for their crimes.
Brand, 44, was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow, alongside O’Brien, 45, and Kelly, 44, of killing O’Brien’s 14-year-old girlfriend Caroline.
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The court heard that Caroline was repeatedly punched and kicked, and had bricks or similar items thrown at her, causing blunt force trauma to her head and body.
While Brand did not take part in the assault itself, the court heard that she shared responsibility for the crime because she left Caroline face down in the river.
O’Brien and Kelly are the ones who took part in the assault, as the young girl was still alive when she was thrown in the river on her mother’s 40th birthday. Caroline died of drowning.
Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team re-examined the case in 2019 and re-interviewed people who lived on the same street the three killers were on the night they committed the murder.
One neighbour said Kelly and O'Neill had been babysitting two boys - Archie Wilson, four, and his brother Jamie - who went along with them when they headed out.
It turns out that Archie told his mother at the time that he had seen a fight taking place. He was able to recall the moment Caroline fell into the river and his evidence helped convict the criminals.
His testimony - which was shown in BBC documentary Murder Trial: The Girl In The River - was discarded at the time due to his young age, but tied in with what the neighbours had been saying.
"She got hit with a metal pole because there was metal in her eye. I saw it," the boy said. "I closed my eyes when the metal was in her eyes and when she got pushed into the water.
Lead prosecution lawyer for the trial Alex Prentice KC said: "It is of course a concern that a very young boy is giving evidence in a murder trial and some people might think that a four-year-old boy is not someone who can be relied upon.
"Archie talks about Caroline getting metal in her eye and an injury being caused. We heard from the pathologist who illustrated to the jury that there was such an injury.
"The question would be, 'How would he know that?'"
O’Brien has been ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars, while Kelly and Brand have to serve 18 and 17 years respectively.
Anish Vij