Toni McLachlan said she had nothing to do with Alesha’s murder, saying: “I loved her to pieces” (Image: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Toni McLachlan, 18, who is the girlfriend of Alesha’s father, Robert, was giving evidence at the High Court in Glasgow at the trial of a 16-year-old boy accused of raping and murdering the schoolgirl on the Isle of Bute last summer. The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies the charges and has lodged a special defence blaming Ms McLachlan. But she told the court she had nothing to do with Alesha’s murder, saying: “I loved her to pieces.”
Alesha was found dead in woodland on the Isle of Bute on July 2 last year, after travelling to the island to spend the summer holidays with her father and grandparents.
The court heard Ms McLachlan and her partner sold cannabis to the accused, who phoned them in the early hours of the day Alesha was allegdly taken from her bed at her grandparents’ house – where the couple also stayed.
Ms McLachlan said she returned the accused’s call at around 6.30am after being woken up to search for Alesha, who had been reported missing.
Call logs showed he messaged around 9am that day saying “sorry doesn’t matter” with two laughing/crying emojis.
Alesha, 6, was allegdly taken from her bed at her grandparents’ house (Image: Handout)
Ms McLachlan asked him to keep an eye out for Alesha since she had gone missing and he replied: “Oh damn am sure she’s not went too far.”
She said she had a “bad feeling” about the call but after the messages this went away.
Asked how it felt to be accused of murder, she said: “Horrible, especially when it is somebody that you do love so much. But she knew I loved her and that’s what I’m trying to keep in my head just now.”
She added that she was “sad, hurt and angry”.
Toni Louise McLachlan at the High Court Glasgow (Image: Iain McLellan/Spindrift Photo
