Angus Sinclair ‘worst Scottish serial killer ever’

Flanked by police officers, Sinclair is driven to view the crime scenes during the trial. Picture: Contributed

However, it is unlikely Angus Sinclair will ever by brought to justice for the other murders police think he carried out during a “prolific” period in the late 1970s.

Allan Jones, a former detective superintendent with Lothian and Borders Police, believes Sinclair is responsible for a series of killings which were looked at as part of Operation Trinity, a cold case review set up more than a decade ago following advances in DNA profiling.

The investigation looked at the World’s End murders as well others, including the killings of Anna Kenny, 20, in Glasgow in August 1977; Hilda McAulay, 36, in Glasgow in October 1977, and Agnes Cooney, 23, in Lanarkshire in December 1977.

Mr Jones said: “At the time of these horrendous murders that occurred in 1977/78 Sinclair was a prolific and evil criminal. There are many people and many families that have suffered as a consequence of his actions during the course of that time. No case is ever closed. There will always be room for these cases to be looked at again, but that’s something for the Crown to consider.”

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He said it was “entirely possible” that Sinclair was responsible for all murders looked at as part of Operation Trinity, with the exception of two which took place in Tayside.

However, lack of evidence linking Sinclair to the other murders means he is unlikely to ever face trial.

Police said the way evidence had been preserved in the World’s End case was “remarkable”. Detective Chief Superintendent Gary Flannigan, of Police Scotland’s major investigation team, said: “The thing that’s remarkable in this particular case – never mind the gravity of the offences, which are absolutely horrific – is that for a case that’s 37 years old, we wouldn’t be here today if it had not been for the care of the staff involved from the very outset.”

Tom Wood, a former deputy chief constable who led the World’s End investigation from 2004 to 2007, believes Sinclair, who has only been at liberty for around 15 years of his adult life, is responsible for the deaths of Anna Kenny, Hilda McAulay and Agnes Cooney.

But the evidence in those cases has not stood the test of time as the World’s End productions have done.

Sinclair is also unlikely to offer an admission of guilt. Footage from a 2007 police interview shows him refusing to answer questions about his movements 30 years earlier on the night of Saturday 15 October.

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