THE unsolved murder of Glasgow vice girl Emma Caldwell more than a decade ago could be re-investigated by police.

 

Prosecutors are currently reviewing whether there are grounds to re-open the high-profile murder case and make a fresh bid to identify her killer.

It comes after revelations about a man, who was quizzed by detectives following the prostitute's death, admitted driving the 27-year-old to the spot where her body was found.

After Miss Caldwell's body was found in wooded area near Roberton, Lanarkshire, in April 2005, the "local man" informed officers he taken her to the same site on six previous occasions.

However, two years after her death, police arrested four Turkish men following a £4 million operation.

The Crown Office said officials are considering instructing police to re-investigate the killing.

A spokesman said: "Crown Counsel are currently considering whether there are grounds to instruct Police Scotland to re-investigate the case."

Emma was a former stable girl and happy teenager, who grew up in Erskine, Renfrewshire.

But in 1998, her elder sister Karen, died of cancer and within a year, Emma had become hooked on heroin and worked as a prostitute in Glasgow to feed her habit.

Emma was last seen on April 4, 2005 near a women's hostel in the Govanhill area, at around 11pm.

Her body was discovered in woods near Roberton, Lanarkshire around a month later by a dog walker.

Huseyin Cobanoglu, now 63, from Irvine, Halil Kandil, 42, from Cadder, Abubekir Oncu, 39, from Springboig and Mustafa Soylemez, 44, were charged with killing Emma.

They were also accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by dumping her body in woods.

However, within a year, the case had collapsed.

The Crown Office had 12 months from the date of the arrests, to set a trial date, but in July 2008, it emerged that prosecutors had been unable to do so within the deadline.

Meanwhile, calls have been made for a cold case review of all the unsolved murders of prostitutes in Glasgow in the 1990s.

Former police officer turned politician, John Finnie MSP, has called for a cold case review into the killings.

Diane McInally, Karen McGregor, Marjorie Roberts, and Jacqueline Gallagher were among the women killed between 1991 and 1998.

A Crown Office spokesman added: "Unresolved homicides are never closed. COPFS maintains a database of all cold case homicides and cases to which the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act may apply. The Cold Case Unit works closely with Police Scotland to review these cases to ascertain if there are any new evidential developments, including advances in forensic techniques, which would assist in providing a basis for criminal proceedings.

"There is a risk of prejudicing fresh prosecutions by commenting further on individual cases or providing details on how a particular case is being dealt with."