Emma Caldwell: Man to face court accused of murdering Glasgow woman 17 years ago

Detectives have charged a man in connection with the death of a Glasgow woman in 2005.
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Emma Caldwell, 27, who had battled heroin addiction, went missing on April 5, 2005 and her body was found five weeks later near Rigside, Lanarkshire.

On Thursday, detectives arrested a 49-year-old man and he has now been formally charged. He is due to appear in Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

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Ms Caldwell, who was originally from Erskine, Renfrewshire, had turned to drugs, then became a sex worker, following the death of her sister from cancer. At the time she vanished the former riding instructor was living in a unit for homeless women in the Govanhill district of Glasgow. She was last seen alive in the east end of the city.

A man is to appear in court on Monday in connection with the 2005 death of Emma Caldwell.A man is to appear in court on Monday in connection with the 2005 death of Emma Caldwell.
A man is to appear in court on Monday in connection with the 2005 death of Emma Caldwell.

Her death sparked a major police investigation and a number of televised appeals. Four Turkish men were subsequently accused of her murder but the case against them was shelved. One of the men was later jailed for 10 years for a series of attacks on prostitutes. Another received a six-figure compensation pay out for the time he spent on remand.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Graeme Mackie, said: "Police Scotland officers have undertaken a significant amount of work re-investigating all the circumstances surrounding Emma’s death following instruction from the Lord Advocate in 2015.

“The investigation into Emma’s death continues and I would urge anyone with information, no matter how small or insignificant they might think it is, to please come forward and speak to us.”

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