Jump directly to the content

ALESHA MacPhail’s killer Aaron Campbell will be moved to an adult prison next month — once a caged relative of the schoolgirl is swapped out.

The six-year-old’s loved ones accused jail chiefs of prioritising the “wants and needs” of Campbell, 22, who was 16 when he murdered Alesha on Bute.

The beast preyed on tragic Alesha while she was visiting family in Port Bannantyne
4
The beast preyed on tragic Alesha while she was visiting family in Port BannantyneCredit: PA
Alesha's body was found hours after the attack in the grounds of a derelict island hotel
4
Alesha's body was found hours after the attack in the grounds of a derelict island hotelCredit: Handout
Outraged relatives told of their “disgust” as the killer prepares to change places
4
Outraged relatives told of their “disgust” as the killer prepares to change placesCredit: Andrew Barr
Her great-grandad George Lochrane slammed jail chiefs’ arrangements
4
Her great-grandad George Lochrane slammed jail chiefs’ arrangementsCredit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow

Outraged relatives told of their “disgust” as the killer prepares to change places with their family member at HMP Glenochil near Alloa.

His transfer next month weeks after turning 22 means the relative will be moved to another prison — potentially Dumfries, 100 miles away — amid fears for Campbell’s safety.

The monster has until now been holed up at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Stirlingshire after being nailed for snatching six-year-old Alesha from her bed before raping and murdering her.

And her great-grandad slammed jail chiefs’ arrangements. George Lochrane, 81, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, said: “It’s not right.

“They seem to be putting his wants and needs first.

“Tell him to come stay with me, that’s what I say. He’s never going to change. They need to leave our family alone.”

We told last year how bosses delayed Campbell’s transfer after being made aware Alesha’s family member was serving a sentence at the same prison.

But the jailed man’s mum — who could face a 100-mile bus or train trek to visit her son — blasted the move.

She added: “The suggestion of moving my son to make way for that monster is disgusting.

“He’s settled in there and up for parole in October so this is not the time to be moving him.

Alesha MacPhail cops seal off beach on Isle of Bute as locals line streets with teddy bears in tribute

“They’ve suggested he may have to go as far as Dumfries prison, 100 miles away.

“I don’t drive so there’s no chance of me seeing my son if he’s all the way down there.”

Of sick Campbell, she added: “Anything about that monster brings back what happened to Alesha.

“The poor girl deserved to rest in peace. But something else comes up each year. They should be sending him to a different prison, not my son.”

Campbell — one of the country’s most despised inmates — is understood to live as a loner at Polmont but was made to mix with other inmates to get set for the switch to an adult jail.

We revealed he was “bulking up” in the gym, fearing he will be targeted by older lags at Glenochil — which only takes prisoners transferred from other jails rather than directly from courts.

And a source said: “Alesha’s family will rightly be angry that their relative is being moved further away from them so that her killer can get a place.

“Campbell will be worried about what sort of welcome he will get from the older guys.

“But he will need to just get on with it.”

The beast, then 16, preyed on tragic Alesha while she was visiting family in Port Bannantyne, Bute, in July 2018.

Her body was found hours after the attack in the grounds of a derelict island hotel.

Campbell was caged for 27 years, later cut to 24, following a harrowing trial at the High Court in Glasgow in 2019.

He was described by Judge Lord Matthews as “cold, calculating, remorseless and dangerous”.

The smirking brute later confessed to social workers that he had to “zip his mouth shut” during the case to stop himself laughing.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

We told last June how he was rushed to hospital after being battered by young cons.

On his move, a Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “We do not comment on individuals.”

Topics