Background: Notorious murder case confounded detectives for 30 years

Known as the “World’s End murders”, it started with the discovery of Christine Eadie’s naked, bound, beaten and raped body on 16 October 1977 in East Lothian.

Hours later, the partly clothed body of her friend Helen Scott, who had also been raped, was found dumped in a field a few miles away.

No positive leads were found until, in 2006, Angus Sinclair, a convicted killer in Peterhead Prison, appeared in the High Court in Edinburgh accused of raping and murdering both teenagers.

Sinclair, 62, had been serving a life sentence for killing 17-year-old Mary Gallagher in November 1978.

Despite a high-profile trial in 2007, Lord Clarke dismissed the jury, saying evidence that Sinclair had played a part in the killings was “neutral at the very best”.

The charges had stated Sinclair acted with his brother-in-law Gordon Hamilton, who died in 1996. Sinclair lodged a special defence incriminating Mr Hamilton.

His defence team lodged a submission that there was no case to answer.

The tragic events began on 15 October 1977 when the women, both 17, went to the World’s End pub on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Drinkers recalled the women talking to two men before they left at closing time at 11pm.

John Rafferty, a former policeman helped one of the women, believed to be Miss Eadie, to her feet outside the pub. He said the women were then approached by two men.

Despite one of Lothian and Borders Police’s biggest ever investigations – involving hundreds of officers, 13,000 suspects and the interviewing of every soldier in Scotland – the investigation was scaled down the following May.

RETRIAL RULES

New evidence must meet strict criteria to satisfy double jeopardy laws and trigger a new trial.

If the Crown Office believes the criteria has been met, it can then apply to the court to set aside an acquittal.

The evidence must substantially strengthen the case against the accused, must not have been available at the original trial and it must be highly likely that, with it, a reasonable jury would have convicted.

The court must also find that it is in the interests of justice to order a retrial.