Man, 20, accused of beating and sexually assaulting his 16-year-old sister before disposing of her body
27 September 2022, 22:07
A 20-year-old man is set to stand trial accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his teenage sister, before dumping her body in a South Lanarkshire park.
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It is alleged Connor Gibson repeatedly assaulted 16-year-old Amber Gibson, before removing her clothing and strangling her with the intent of raping her.
Prosecutors claim Mr Gibson repeatedly inflicted blunt force trauma to her head and body on the evening of November 26, 2021, before compressing her neck with his hands.
Mr Gibson has pleaded not guilty to all charges during a virtual court hearing.
Her body was discovered in nearby woods following a widespread missing persons hunt for the teenager, as children played in the snow.
Accused of leaving his sisters body in Cadzow Glen in Hamilton, located just South of Glasgow, Mr Gibson, also known as Connor Niven, is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of the bloodstained T-shirt and shorts he wore to commit the alleged crime.
Prosecutors say he then phoned the children's unit where his sister lived, claiming to believe she was alive.
Mr Gibson also faces a further charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by claiming he had argued with his sister on the evening of November 26 last year – the night she went missing, before going to someone else's home.
A second man, Stephen Corrigan, 44, faces separate charges of breach of the peace and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Prosecutors allege that having found Amber Gibson's body sometime between November 26 and 28, Mr Corrigan touched her buttocks, breasts and other areas.
He is also accused of concealing the teenager’s body under bushes and branches to delay or prevent its discovery, concealing, altering or destroying evidence that would show he had touched her body and clothing.
Mr Corrigan's defence agent, Solicitor Advocate Rhonda Anderson, said he pleads not guilty to both charges and entered a special defence of alibi on his behalf.
The trial, which is expected to last 10 days, is scheduled for July 3 at the High Court in Glasgow,
