Amber Gibson was murdered by brother she trusted, court told

Amber Gibson's body was found in Cadzow Glen in Hamilton, days after she was last seen

A teenager was "appallingly" murdered by the brother she must have trusted, a court has heard.

Connor Gibson, 20, denies strangling and sexually assaulting his 16-year-old sister Amber Gibson in Cadzow Glen, Hamilton in November 2021.

Prosecutor Richard Goddard KC addressed jurors in his closing speech of the trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He said: "Gibson violently assaulted her, ripped off her bra and top and pulled off her joggers and underwear."

It is also alleged that another man, Stephen Corrigan, 45, found Amber's body, inappropriately touched her and hid her body under bushes.

He denies charges of breaching the peace and trying to defeat the ends of justice.

Mr Goddard named 21 different circumstances which linked Mr Gibson to the murder and sexual assault.

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He told the court: "From him going to Cadzow Glen with her, we saw him emerge muddy, dishevelled, going back to tell a pack of lies about where he had been and what he did that evening.

"She lay there until the Sunday morning, enough time for Corrigan to commit sordid acts.

"He handled her body and handled intimate areas of her."

Mr Goddard said that the last anyone saw of Amber was on CCTV with Mr Gibson heading to the park where her body was found.

He claimed they both ended up muddy as Amber was strangled and struck with multiple blows to the head and body.

He said a bandage with Mr Gibson's DNA was found near her body and he was "caught red-handed" when he returned home later - throwing away a t-shirt and shorts with Amber's DNA.

Amber Gibson's body was found at Cadzow Glen in Hamilton

Mr Goddard further recalled that Mr Gibson's DNA was found on Amber's bra, jogging bottoms, underwear and her body.

He said Mr Gibson "obstructed all efforts to try and bring back his sister."

Mr Goddard reminded jurors that Mr Gibson sent a text to Amber's phone later that night that was never opened.

He said he "told lie after lie about where he was and when he last saw his sister".

Mr Goddard also turned his attention to co-accused, Stephen Corrigan, who allegedly had his DNA on 39 areas of Amber's body.

"Virtually no part of her body went untouched by Corrigan," he said.

Tony Graham KC, defending Gibson, highlighted in his closing speech that there was no official time or day for Amber's death.

He said: "Can you convict someone of murder when you don't know when the person dies?"

The advocate also said that Gibson did assault his sister which resulted in blunt force injuries, but did not cause her death.

Trauma to head

Mr Graham reminded jurors that Amber's cause of death was compression of the neck, but claimed there was no evidence of contact with the neck.

He asked the jury to only convict Mr Gibson of assaulting Amber, and disregard every other accusation apart from "inflict blunt trauma to her head."

Rhonda Anderson, defending Stephen Corrigan, reminded the jury that her client was initially charged by police with Amber's murder.

She urged the jury not to make the same mistake and "presume a crime has been committed simply because of the DNA".

The solicitor advocate also highlighted CCTV evidence which captured Amber and Connor Gibson on camera at Cadzow Glen, yet Mr Corrigan did not appear.

She also told jurors that his phone signal was not picked up by a mobile phone cell site at the park.

She added: "If the crown say he went to Cadzow Glen, did he parachute into Cadzow Glen?"

Mr Gibson and Mr Corrigan deny the charges against them.

Judge Lord Mulholland will complete his legal directions on Tuesday before jurors are sent out to consider their verdict.