Amber Gibson murder: Independent care review set to be concluded
Connor Gibson, 20, murdered 16-year-old Amber in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, in November 2021. Stephen Corrigan, 45, found the teenager's body but instead of alerting authorities he intimately touched her.
Thursday 27 July 2023 15:56, UK
An independent review into the care Amber Gibson received from authorities before she was murdered by her brother is set to be concluded in a move to determine whether lessons can be learned from the incident.
Connor Gibson, 20, was earlier this week found guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering his 16-year-old sister.
Gibson attacked Amber in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, in November 2021.
During the fatal attack, he removed the teen's clothes, sexually assaulted her with the intention of raping her, inflicted blunt force trauma to her head and body, and strangled her.
Amber's body was discovered within Cadzow Glen by Stephen Corrigan.
Instead of alerting authorities, the 45-year-old intimately touched her and concealed her body.
Both Gibson and Corrigan will be sentenced in September.
Following the guilty verdicts, foster parents Craig and Carol Niven, who had previously looked after both Gibson and Amber, said the siblings had been "let down" by the care system.
They said: "As a family, we all feel this could have been prevented. We now have one daughter buried in Larkhall Cemetery and another child in prison."
At the time of the murder, Gibson was staying at the Blue Triangle homeless hostel in Hamilton. Amber was living at Hillhouse children's home in the town, which is serviced by South Lanarkshire Council.
After her death was reported to the Care Inspectorate and the chair of the Child Protection Committee (CPC), the CPC ordered an independent review into the incident.
Most of the work has since been carried out, including interviewing witnesses in the criminal case, and is now in its final stages.
The findings will be publicly reported.
Professor Soumen Sengupta, director of health and social care for South Lanarkshire, said: "This has been a truly tragic case, and our thoughts remain with all those who knew and loved Amber.
"There are established procedures in place for tragic events of this nature which are designed to ensure that events are fully understood and, if necessary, learned from."
Read more from the trial:
Amber Gibson 'had injuries consistent with being strangled'
Blood on brother Connor Gibson's clothes 'could indicate assault'
Accused man's DNA 'could have been on body before she died'
The CPC is an inter-agency group responsible for ensuring effective child protection services across South Lanarkshire, overseen by the Public Protection Chief Officer Group.
Professor Sengupta added: "The results of the review will be delivered to the CPC once complete and then shared with the Public Protection Chief Officer Group.
"It is anticipated that the findings will be publicly reported in an appropriate format once the report is formally signed off."