The tragic case of Alesha MacPhail
It was in the afternoon.
The police were notified about something that was discovered on a hotel premises.
Six-year-old Alesha, who had dozed off watching Peppa Pig the previous night, had been jerked so violently that it damaged her spine.
Alesha’s mother, Georgina Lochrane, learned about her daughter’s death from a complete stranger via a Facebook post.
Laura: So sorry for your loss 💔
Georgina: Someone, please tell me what’s happened. That’s my daughter
Paige: (this link)Https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/… — might explain better than I can, so sorry!
Alesha Was a Six Year Old
Alesha MacPhail was a six-year-old who lived in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. She was a considerate, bright, bubbly child with a contagious big smile.
Alesha enjoyed reading. And she was a little perfectionist when it came to her writing.
Initially, Alesha’s parents, Georgina Lochrane and Robert MacPhail, had a very strong relationship. But the couple ended their relationship and agreed to co-parent.
Alesha stayed with her mother for the most part.
Georgina provided Alesha with all the love, care, and support that she could. Georgina also supported little Alesha’s hobby of creating YouTube videos.
Alesha Often Visited Her Father
Alesha made trips every other weekend to visit Robert.
Robert stayed in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute. He had moved in with his parents after the break-up.
Robert’s girlfriend, Toni McLachlan, later moved in with him too.
Alesha loved it at her grandparents’ place. She often spent her time there at the beach, swimming.
On 28 June 2018, Georgina dropped Alesha off at her grandparents’ place to visit her father. And the grandparents organized a trip to the beach with their granddaughter.
The next few days were filled with fun activities, including the Isle of Bute gala day. Alesha had the time of her life going on different rides.
On 1 July, everyone woke up and shared breakfast together.
Alesha attended a friend’s birthday party with her grandfather later that day. Then she spent some time at a local park with Robert and Toni.
Alesha’s grandmother then picked up the trio. They stopped at a local supermarket to pick up dinner before heading home.
Alesha had quite an eventful day. She hugged and kissed her grandparents. Then she said good night.
Alesha dozed off on Peppa pig.
The Police Received a Disturbing Call
A call was made to 999 at around 6:23 am the next morning.
Alesha’s grandfather had woken up to check on her, and she wasn’t in her bed. The whole family searched for Alesha around the house, but nada!!
So they informed the police.
Meanwhile, a Facebook post was made to help search for Alesha. Many residents and the police were soon out on the streets searching for Alesha.
Alesha was found by a member of the search on the premises of a hotel fifteen minutes away from her grandparents’ home.
She was murdered. Alesha’s autopsy report revealed that she suffered catastrophic injuries to her face and neck that killed her. And her spine was damaged.
Alesha was smothered and brutally raped. She suffered unthinkable genital injuries, which were caused by severe and forceful penetration.
Alesha also suffered more horrific sexual injuries after her death. The injuries appeared to indicate that Alesha’s murder had aroused the murderer.
She suffered 117 injuries in total.
Alesha’s family was informed a short time later.
Her Mother Saw the Heartbreaking News On Facebook
Sadly, Georgina learned about her daughter’s abduction and death via a Facebook post.
Neither the police nor the family bothered to inform her about what had happened. Meanwhile, the investigation into Alesha’s murder commenced.
The police made appeals on social media for anyone with useful information to come forward. That’s when a woman named Janette Campbell came with CCTV footage.
The footage showed her son, Aaron Thomas Campbell, moving suspiciously the night Alesha was kidnapped.
Janette asked Aaron if he had anything to do with Alesha’s kidnap and murder. But he insisted he had nothing to do with it.
Now, she wanted the police to rule him out as a suspect.
Aaron’s DNA Was A Match
Aaron’s DNA was found on Alesha’s body.
His semen was a match. Then fibers from his pants were also found on Alesha’s clothes. All the above proving that he was the monster that the authorities were looking for.
Aaron’s family had moved to the Isle of Bute in 2007.
He was described as a sixteen-year-old smart teenager who liked video games and sports. Nobody could’ve guessed that Aaron possessed such a twisted dark side.
It turned out that Robert and Toni supplied Aaron with drugs from time to time.
However, Aaron refused to pay Robert money for drugs supplied to him in February 2018. He complained that the quality was bad.
Robert and Toni cut all their ties with Aaron.
On 1 July, Aaron threw a party at his parents’ home. The party ended around midnight. Then Aaron got into a fight with his mother.
Aaron was very upset.
He decided to get weed to cheer himself up. Aaron contacted many dealers, including Robert. But it was late, and Aaron didn’t get any replies. So Aaron decided to go to steal some drugs from Robert’s house.
He grabbed a knife from the kitchen.
Alesha’s Murder
Aaron was caught on CCTV jumping out of their yard.
He made his way to Robert’s house. The door was open. And Aaron got inside. But he couldn’t find what he was looking for. Instead, he saw little Alesha sleeping in her bedroom.
Aaron saw Alesha as a chance to act on dark thoughts that had been lurking in his head.
“It was a moment of opportunity where I thought I was going to kill her once I saw her.” — stated Aaron.
Aaron picked up Alesha from her bed. Alesha woke up and asked Aaron who he was. Then he told her that he was her father’s friend.
Aaron carried Alesha to the shoreline. He violated her until she died. He continued to rape Alesha even after she was dead.
He disposed of his knife. Then he dumped her body on the premises of a nearby hotel.
Aaron returned home before he returned to the water to dispose of his bloody clothes. He was captured on CCTV returning home before he jumped out again with a flashlight in his hands. He returned home for the final time around 6 a.m.
The Aftermath
Aaron was arrested.
He denied all the charges brought against him. He tried to pin the murder on Toni. Then he later stated he was quite pleased with the murder.
It took everything in him not to laugh during the trial. It was concluded that the teenager was a narcissistic psychopath who found joy in doing unthinkable acts.
Aaron was found guilty of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of six-year-old Alesha.
He was sentenced to twenty-seven years behind bars. His sentence was reduced by three years after an appeal. Aaron has been the number one target for inmates since his sentencing.
In 2022, Aaron was attacked by an inmate at the prison where he was held.
His cell was accidentally left slightly open during lunch. A fellow prisoner then burst through the door and subjected Aaron to the beating of his life.
Aaron was rushed to the hospital after the beating. It was so bad that one of his teeth pierced his lip.
Sources: Wikipedia.org, Ape Huncho, Twisted Minds