George Beattie returns to Carluke - 36 years after murder conviction
GEORGE Beattie returned to Carluke — 36 years after his conviction for the murder of Margaret McLaughlin.
The scenes form part of an explosive new DVD, available on the internet from July 21, of which the Gazette was given an exclusive preview.
Narrated by long-term Beattie supporter, TV producer Peter Hill, the Defeat of Justice once again calls into question the convicted killer's guilt.
Having been found guilty of Margaret McLaughlin's murder in October 1973, Beattie has had his case referred back to the court of appeal twice — both appeals were dismissed.
When the latest attempt, in March this year, failed, Mr Hill decided to produce the Defeat of Justice programme.
Explaining why, he said: "The Defeat of Justice shows the astonishing evidence that the court has been unable to deal with.
"His (Beattie) case throws into sharp focus the fact that we may go to a court seeking justice — but will only get, in fact, law. And the two may not be the same."
Beattie was found guilty of a brutal knife attack, in woodland near Unitas Crescent, which killed 23-year-old typist Margaret McLaughlin on July 6, 1973.
A jury back in October 1973 took just 35 minutes to find him guilty but, since then, he has continued to protest his innoncence.
During his latest appeal, Edinburgh Court of Criminal Appeal judges heard claims that Beattie's head was held under water by murder hunt detectives seeking a confession.
However, in a written ruling in March, Scotland's top judge Lord Hamilton said he was satisfied that information Beattie gave police was volunteered and not fed to him by officers.
Freed after serving some 15 years of his life sentence, Beattie — now aged 55 — lives in self-exile in England. He will remain on licence until his dying day.
* The Defeat of Justice programme will be available online from July 21.
For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Carluke Gazette which is in the shops now.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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