World’s End: Accused ‘didn’t care’ about victims

Christine Eadie (left) and Helen Scott. Picture: PA

Sinclair is on trial at the High Court in Livingston, where he has pleaded not guilty to raping and murdering Christine Eadie and her friend Helen Scott 37 years ago.

The 17-year-olds were last seen at Edinburgh’s World’s End pub on 15 October 1977.

Christine’s body was found the next day at Gosford Bay, in Aberlady, East Lothian, while Helen’s body was discovered a few hours later in a wheat field near Haddington, East Lothian.

Sinclair entered the witness box yesterday to give evidence, telling jurors he met the girls at the pub with his late brother-in-law Gordon Hamilton.

Under cross-examination from Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland, prosecuting, Sinclair said they spoke to the girls for around “five to ten minutes” inside the pub.

He offered them a lift and they got in his Toyota caravanette before driving to the city’s Holyrood Park area, where both men had consensual sexual intercourse with each girl, he told the court.

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Asked why he drove there instead of taking the girls home, Sinclair said it was to “chance my arm with the girls”.

Mr Mulholland asked: “You say ‘do you want a lift home?’ and they said yes?”

Sinclair agreed.

“There’s a very important word in that statement – home,” said Mr Mulholland. “How did you end up in Holyrood Park?”

“Just did,” replied Sinclair.

Mr Mulholland asked him again: “Why didn’t you take the girls home?”

“Stopped in the park,” he said.

“You’re not answering the question and I will keep asking it,” Mr Mulholland said.

“Because I wanted to chance my arm,” Sinclair said.

Mr Mulholland asked: “Sex was on your mind?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Sex clearly wasn’t on the mind of the girls?” Mr Mulholland asked.

“No,” Sinclair said.

“But you wanted sex, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Sinclair replied.

“You didn’t care that the girls wanted to go home?”

“No,” he replied.

“You just wanted sex, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” replied Sinclair.

Asked if the girls were “scared witless,” Sinclair said: “No.”

“You didn’t care about these girls, they were just something for you to use, is that right?” Mr Mulholland asked.

“Yes,” Sinclair said.

The Lord Advocate said: “I want you to look into your conscience, I want you to look into your soul. Will you accept responsibility for murdering both girls?”

“No,” Sinclair replied.

Sinclair is accused of carrying out the attacks along with Hamilton, who died in 1996. Sinclair denies the charges against him and has submitted three special defences of incrimination: blaming his brother-in-law; alibi – claiming he was fishing on the banks of the Firth of Forth near Cockenzie power station at the time of the killings; and consent to sexual intercourse.

Sinclair earlier told QC Ian Duguid that after meeting the girls and going to Holyrood Park in the caravanette he had sex with Christine, while Hamilton was with Helen.

Asked what happened next, he said they “swapped partners”.

“Why did you do that?” Mr Duguid asked.

“Seemed the right thing to do,” he replied.

He told the court Helen said she was a virgin. Sinclair then told the court the party headed back to the spot where he had been fishing earlier, with him driving while Hamilton and the girls were still in the back of the vehicle. He said he got his fishing gear out of the van before Hamilton drove off.

“As far as you are concerned, when you last saw the girls being driven off in the caravanette by Gordon Hamilton that was the last you saw of them, is that correct?” asked Mr Duguid.

“Yes,” he said.

The trial continues.

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