Episode 79: Margaret McLaughlin

Murder She Spoke

Episode 79: Margaret McLaughlin. This week Emma brings us the story of Margaret McLaughlin, a 23-year-old typist from Carluke, who was killed in July 1973.
We hear how the ferocious attack would likely have left substantial evidence on the killer and how it came as a surprise when the police named a main suspect displaying none of these signs.
Emma discusses some of the poor investigation practices carried out by the police at the time and the concerns ,by some, of the outcome of the original investigation.
Most notably Emma looks at the research of criminologist Professor David Wilson, who casts serious doubts about the safety of the original conviction and goes so far as to name who he believes is the real killer.
Case research by Emma Taylor
Produced by Emma Taylor & Joannagh Shanks
Editing by Shaun O'Neill
Music by Tribe of Noise
Sources of research:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/10/scottish-tory-msp-george-beattie-case-scotland
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/innocent-man-spent-15-years-22804071
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/crime-scene-murder-margaret-mclaughlin-24072995
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18779927.margaret-mclaughlin-murder-last-opportunity-justice/
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/5899864/margaret-mclaughlin-carluke-murder-george-beattie/
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/likely-suspect-for-1973-murder-named-by-criminologist
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/carluke-george-beattie-murder-innocent
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/murder-investigator-confronted-suspect-in-margaret-mclaughlins-killing-wg8bfbkpg
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12334731/woman-stabbed-teen-bizarre-confession-criminologist-clear-killer/
http://www.roughjusticetv.co.uk/marg.htm
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-record/20201007/281831466193272
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18579726.books-david-wilson-asks-killed-margaret-mclaughlin/
https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=1bb986a6-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1993/mar/03/george-beattie
https://scotslaw.fandom.com/wiki/George_Beattie_v_HM_Advocate
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/george-beattie-fitted-up-cops-22344669
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7923558.stm
https://newspresslive.com/can-courts-provide-real-justice-scotland-stv-news/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gem9R73CeiY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1CUKyGwieE BBC Rough Justice: The Case of the Missing Meal