Bin killer caught after boss spotted him in Evening News

Published on Wednesday 11 May 2011 11:06

DOUBLE killer Robert Chalmers was caught after his boss at the city's Mosque Kitchen recognised him from a CCTV image published in the Evening News, it emerged today.

SNAPPED: CCTV showing Chalmers with Samantha

Police released the security camera footage of murder victim Samantha Wright walking with an unknown older man in Hanover Street.

Mohammed Akbar, manager of the restaurant at Edinburgh's Central Mosque, said he saw the picture in the News and called St Leonards police station to alert them to the mystery man's identity.

Mr Akbar had been giving 59-year-old Chalmers free food at the Mosque Kitchen as staff "felt sorry for him", and later gave him a handyman job at the adjacent car park.

Police later swooped on Chalmers' home in Magdalene Drive in Duddingston and found the mutilated body of 25-year-old Ms Wright in a wheelie bin in his back garden.

Chalmers, known as Papa Smurf locally because of his white beard, was convicted of her murder on Thursday following a trial at the High Court of Edinburgh. It emerged afterwards that the father-of-11 had also stabbed to death a drinking buddy nearly 38 years ago and served nine years of a life sentence.

Mr Akbar, who runs the Potterow eaterie, said: "Chalmers used to come to the kitchen and we would give him free food and coffee because we felt sorry for him. We thought he was a homeless person. He was hanging around for a few months, but after a month or two, our car park attendant was able to give him a job that summer. He was hired as a part-time handyman to fix things and paint the white lines. We were just trying to help him and give him some money."

Detectives released the CCTV image to the Evening News, captured on June 12 2008, the last day she was seen alive, in the hope of tracing Ms Wright's whereabouts. Hundreds of hours of painstaking police work led detectives to discover the footage from that day showing Ms Wright walking with a man in Hanover Street at the junction with Rose Street.

Mr Akbar added: "Chalmers was a quiet person who kept to himself and didn't talk much. But we were always busy so we didn't really notice him. I was talking to him one time and he said he lived in Magdalene. I remembered that because I know the area well, and I was able to give that address to police. We were shocked when we found how that he had killed the young woman. We couldn't believe he kept her body for all that time. We are just pleased he was caught."It is understood police are now examining unsolved murders and missing persons cases, which may be connected to Chalmers, although no links have yet been established.

Friends of Ms Wright said Chalmers would entice young women, often teenage runaways, back to his home for drinking sessions after meeting them in places like Hunter Square.

Judge Lord Malcolm will sentence Chalmers next month.

• A man has appeared on petition at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with attempted murder. Allister Gibb of Calder Crescent, Edinburgh, made no plea yesterday. The case was continued for further inquiry and Gibb was released on bail. It is alleged he tried to murder Robert Chalmers, 59, in St Giles' Street, Edinburgh, on May 12.