Relatives of women who worked in Glasgow’s red light district and were murdered in the 1990s and early 2000s are pushing for answers as four killings remain unsolved
Families of women who were employed in Glasgow’s red light district are demanding answers as to why their murderers have never been apprehended.
A fresh podcast series has interviewed relatives of several women engaged in sex work who were murdered in the 1990s and early 2000s. One family member told Rayo’s Beware Book podcast that she believed the police approach to the murder investigation was “corrupt” and officers didn’t pursue the “big fish”.
The series investigates the deaths of eight women during this period, with four cases remaining unsolved. The first episode, which is released on Monday, centres on the death of 23 year old Diane McInally in 1991. Her body was discovered in Pollok Park.
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Two men were charged with her murder but subsequently released due to insufficient evidence. The podcast spoke to Diane’s aunt Elizabeth Glover and her cousin Shirley Waters. They expressed their lack of trust in the police to find her murderer.
Shirley stated: “They’re all corrupt. It’s all corruption, I think. So it is. They’ll choose the crimes they want to pursue and whatever. They don’t go for the big fish.”
Elizabeth, also known as Dolly, added: “I think probably the prostitutes in the 50s, 60s, were safer than the ones now.” She portrayed Diane as a “lovely mother” who “went down the wrong road” as time progressed.
Ms McInally’s family mentioned that she had been scheduled to provide evidence in a court case at the time of her murder. It’s believed she was working in the Gorbals area of Glasgow when she died.
The Beware Book podcast derives its title from a diary utilised by women engaged in sex work to alert each other about potentially harmful or suspicious clients. The podcast is being launched following the conviction of Iain Packer, who was finally held accountable nearly two decades after the murder of Emma Caldwell in 2005.
Family members of the victims claim they have not been approached by Police Scotland.
Alongside Ms McInally, the cases of Karen McGregor, Leona McGovern and Jacqueline Gallagher remain unresolved.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland stated: “We do acknowledge the pain and the distress suffered by the families. We’d like to reassure those victims and their families that we haven’t forgotten about you or your loved ones. There should be regular contact with families and if that’s not the case, we want to rectify that.”
The force has declared it does not view the cases as closed. The initial two episodes of Beware Book will be accessible from 23 March on the Rayo app, Apple, Amazon Music and other apps.
