Murder of Paige Doherty

Paige Doherty was a 15-year-old student from Clydebank, Scotland who was murdered on 19 March 2016 by 32 year-old John Leathem in his deli.

Murder of Paige Doherty
Location	Clydebank, Scotland
Date	19 March 2016
Attack type	Murder
Weapon	Knife
Victim	Paige Doherty
Assailant	John Leathem
Verdict	Guilty
Convictions	Murder
Charges	Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years at HMP Dumfries

Paige Doherty
Born	18 April 2000 Scotland
Died	19 March 2016 (aged 15) Clydebank, West Dumbartonshire, Scotland
Cause of death	Stabbing
Parent(s)	Pamela Munro, Jon Bothwell

Background

Paige had stayed at one of her friends' house on the night of 18 March. On the 19th, at around 8:21am, she went to John Leathem's delicatessen before she would have gone to her hairdressing job in Kirkintilloch, 12 mi (19 km) away; the search for her began after she failed to arrive.[1][2]

John Leathem
Born	John Leathem 1983 or 1984 Scotland
Status	Incarcerated
Criminal charge	Murder
Penalty	Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years
Date apprehended	26 March 2016
Imprisoned at	HMP Dumfries

Murder investigation

Her body was found on the roadside near Glasgow's Great Western Road two days after she disappeared. Doherty had been stabbed in the head and neck and suffered more than 250 wounds, though her mother, Pamela Munro, claimed that there were more than 500 wounds. [3] The last sighting of her was on CCTV at a deli shop in Clydebank, owned by John Leathem, who later admitted to murdering Paige Doherty.[4] Pamela set up the charity, Paige's Promise, in her daughter's name to teach children self defense, as well as support families whose children have been victims of murder.[5]

Trial

John Leathem claimed that Paige threatened to tell people that he had "touched her" inappropriately, if he refused to give her a job.[3] The main evidence used in the trial was CCTV footage of Leathem closing the Deli, running to the shop next door, and then returning with the deli remaining closed for about an hour. The footage then shows him putting a full bin bag in his trunk. The bag was confirmed to contain the body of Paige and when the owner of the shop he visited was questioned, it was confirmed that Leathem had purchased gloves, bleach, and the bin bag.[1][2]

Sentencing

On 12 October 2016, 7 months after Doherty's murder, Leathem was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, where judge Lady Rae set a minimum time of 27 years in jail before becoming eligible to apply for parole.[6] However in February 2017, following an appeal by Leathem, the minimum term was reduced to 23 years.[2]

See also

• List of people who disappeared

References

1. "Deli owner John Leathem admits frenzied murder of Paige Doherty". BBC News. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
2. Leathem v. HM Advocate, Scottish Courts and Tribunals (High Court of Justiciary 17 September 2017).
3. Wheastone, Richard; Jones, Stephen (5 September 2016). "Paige Doherty murder: Deli owner says why he stabbed 15-year-old 146 times claiming 'she threatened to say he touched her'". Mirror. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
4. "Man who killed Paige Doherty in 'frenzied' knife attack jailed for life". 12 October 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
5. "What We Do: Paige's Promise". Retrieved 21 May 2020.
6. Eleftheriou-Smith, Loulla-Mae (17 January 2017). "Paige Doherty's mother posts graphic reminder of murdered teenager's injuries as killer appeals sentence". Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2017.

External links

Paige's Promise charity

Scottish Courts document on John Leathem's appeal