Emma Caldwell’s murderer, Iain Packer, has aligned himself with a notorious fellow sex offender in prison, who was incarcerated for raping an elderly woman.
Packer, recognized as Scotland’s most notorious sexual offender, utilizes ex-soldier Scott Forrest to proclaim his innocence in murder allegations via letters to the Sunday Mail.
Forrest, 55, who received a six-year sentence for assaulting a vulnerable 77-year-old, claims Packer is remorseful about Emma’s demise and alleges that the police set him up.
From his cell in HMP Barlinnie, Forrest stated: “I speak with Iain Packer daily. He allows me to share certain details.
“Iain regrets that she passed away but insists he’s not responsible. The police just wanted a scapegoat to improve their image.”
An insider mentioned: “Packer and Forrest seem to have formed a strong bond. Both serious sex offenders, they maintain their innocence, so their friendship isn’t surprising.”
Although Packer has ceased challenging his conviction legally, the 51-year-old sign fitter is still contesting his 36-year sentence, among the sternest issued by the courts.
In 2023, Packer, 51, was convicted of Emma’s murder 19 years post her death. He was also found guilty of 11 rapes and numerous sexual assaults involving 22 women, as determined by a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in February.
Forrest was subjected to a lifetime restriction and six years imprisonment in 2022 for raping an elderly woman, a crime the judge branded as “shockingly depraved.”
The ex-military man coerced the elderly victim into his East Kilbride home in July 2020 and during the brutal assault, he told her: “You are loving it.”
The victim managed to flee and sought help at a police station, distressed and injured. Forrest then falsely claimed he was promised payment for the sexual encounter.
In his prison correspondence, Forrest discounts crucial forensic evidence tying Packer to Emma’s death site and testimonies from other assaulted women.
Dr. Stefan Uitdehaag from the Netherlands Forensic Institute analyzed soil samples from the ditch where Emma’s body was discovered and compared them with those from Packer’s van.
He concluded it was “far more probable” that the samples originated from the same location rather than different ones.
Forrest contended: “The soil sample wasn’t taken from his van. Many girls visited that spot, not just with Iain.” Packer was convicted for strangling the 27-year-old sex worker after collecting her from Glasgow’s center in April 2005 and driving her to Limefield Woods in Biggar, Lanarkshire.
Her body was uncovered the next month by someone walking their dog.
Packer was interrogated by the police six times regarding Emma’s murder, always as a witness, never a suspect.
The investigation initially targeted four Turkish men and failed after a costly £4million operation by Strathclyde Police.
It took 19 years before Packer was brought to justice, during which he continued to commit numerous sexual assaults and violent acts against other women.
He received a life sentence and must serve at least 36 years before parole consideration.
In March, he directed his legal team to challenge his convictions and sentence, filing an “intimation of intention to appeal” at the High Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.
This month, Packer dropped his conviction appeal but plans to challenge his sentence length at a future hearing.
Forrest is two years into a minimum six-year and three-month sentence.
High Court judge Graham Buchanan, who also imposed the lifetime restriction, told him: “You committed an appallingly depraved act against a vulnerable elderly woman.
“Given your risk profile, it’s conceivable you’ll never be released.”
The Scottish Prison Service spokesperson stated: “We do not comment on individual cases.”
