Amber Gibson was killed by her own brother. Photo / Facebook
Amber Gibson was killed by her own brother. Photo / Facebook
Warning: Distressing content
A brother murdered and sexually assaulted his 16-year-old sister in a “depraved” attack, a court was told.
Connor Gibson was convicted of attacking his sister Amber in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26, 2021.
The 20-year-old removed her clothes, sexually assaulted her with the intention of raping her, inflicted blunt force trauma to her head and body and strangled her.
After murdering her, he disposed of the clothes he had been wearing and called the children’s home where Amber was staying to pretend she was still alive.
Another man, unknown to both Gibson and Amber, was also found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of interfering with her body.
Stephen Corrigan found her body, but rather than alert police, he inappropriately touched her and then concealed her remains.
Amber was reported missing on the evening of November 26, 2021 and her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen two days later, hidden in bushes and branches. Her body was covered in mud and her clothes found nearby.
Connor Gibson and his sister Amber were captured on CCTV walking on a street in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, at 9.55pm on November 26, 2021. Photo / Crown office and Procurator Fiscal Service / PA
Following the discovery, Gibson posted a chilling tribute on Facebook, writing: “Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time. We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN (goodbye for now) X.”
But he was arrested on December 1 that year and is facing life imprisonment after a 13-day trial resulted in the guilty verdict. He and Corrigan were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced on September 4 in Livingston.
Addressing Gibson, who had denied the charges, judge Lord Mulholland said: “Your sister – the last person she saw was you strangling her. It was depraved. You will pay a heavy price for that.”
The judge then told Corrigan: “You have been convicted of two horrific crimes. You came across a young girl who had been strangled to death and was naked.
“Instead of alerting the authorities, you handled her body and your DNA told the story. Be under no illusion what is also coming your way.” Neither man showed any emotion as they were taken handcuffed to the cells.
In a statement issued afterwards, Craig and Carol Niven, the siblings’ foster parents since 2008, said: “When they arrived at our home, Amber was three and Connor aged five.
“Connor stated: ‘We are safe’ – they were until he took the safety away. Amber deserved to live a life of hope and opportunities.
Connor Gibson. Photo / Handout
“As a family, we will never be able to get over how this was taken from her. We are relieved the people involved in what happened to her are now behind bars. However, no amount of time will be justice enough for such a young innocent life.”
They added: “We now have one daughter buried in Larkhall Cemetery and another child in prison. We really miss Amber – life will never be the same.”
Amber stayed with the Nivens until 2019, before moving to Hillhouse children’s unit in Hamilton. Gibson remained with the couple until around his 18th birthday in 2020, when he moved to the Blue Triangle homeless project in the town.
Mr Niven told the court he would not leave the siblings in each other’s company because they were “not a good mix”.
In a call on the day Amber’s body was discovered, he said Gibson told him the pair had “fallen out” when they saw each other two days previously.
Angel McKean, one of Amber’s friends at the children’s unit, recalled seeing Amber for the last time just hours before she was murdered.
The 19-year-old said: “She said that she was going to meet her brother and seemed quite excited about it.” Her last contact with Amber was at 9.51pm when the murdered girl sent a selfie photograph of herself with Gibson captioned “my big bro”.
Gibson returned to the Blue Triangle around midnight, slumping into an office manned by project worker Suzanne Duddy, who told the court it appeared like he had “fallen into a ditch”.
Ms Duddy said: “He explained to me that he had family issues and had an argument with his sister. That was why he wanted to use the phone to see if she returned home safely.”
A CCTV image of Connor Gibson walking alone on a bridge in Hamilton at 11.42pm on November 26, 2021. Photo / Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service / PA
At around 12.30am, Gibson messaged friends on Snapchat stating: “I am really going to need you guys help with something when you guys come back. I am being serious.” Forty seconds later, he then texted Amber’s phone asking: “Are you OK?”
The search history obtained from the phone also showed the user searched “How to get nosy police officers to stop monitoring your phone” at 11.38pm.
The forensic pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination on Amber’s body told the court the cause of death was “compression of the neck”.
Jurors also heard other forensic evidence that “widespread blood staining” on Gibson’s jacket was compatible with Amber and his DNA was also found on her shorts, worn as underwear, which had been “forcibly torn” off.
Corrigan, 45, had denied attempting to defeat the ends of justice by intimately touching and concealing Amber’s body instead of contacting the emergency services.
He lodged a special defence of alibi and his 79-year-old father, William, told the court his son was at his home in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, that weekend after a fall on ice left his arm in a sling.
Corrigan told police he was at a “complete loss” to explain why his DNA was found on 39 areas of Amber’s body, including her breasts, buttocks and thighs.
Prof Soumen Sengupta, director of health and social care for South Lanarkshire, said: “Our thoughts remain with those who knew and loved Amber.
“As is the process across Scotland in any such tragic case involving a looked-after child, the local child protection committee will consider an independent review of the circumstances with all partner agencies.”
