A man faces life in jail after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering his teenage sister before posting a chilling tribute on Facebook.
Connor Gibson was convicted Tuesday afternoon of the fatal attack on 16-year-old sibling Amber at a park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.
A judge warned the 20-year-old he would pay a ‘heavy price’ for his actions, which were branded by both he and a senior detective as ‘depraved’.
A separate man, Stephen Corrigan, has also been found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by intimately touching and concealing Amber’s body after discovering her in the park.
Gibson had brought his sister to Cadzow Glen on the night of November 26, 2021, and assaulted her with the intent of raping her, before strangling and beating her.
The teen was reported missing the same evening, however her body was not discovered until two days later on Sunday, November 28.
The day before Gibson was arrested on December 1, he had disturbingly posted a tribute on Facebook to his sister, writing ‘fly high’and ‘I love you ginger midget’.
The chilling tribute posted on November 30 read: ‘Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time. We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN (goodbye for now) X’.
A search had been made on his phone meanwhile for, ‘how to get nosy police officers to stop monitoring your phone’ on the night of Amber’s death.
Bloodstains compatible with Amber’s murder was later found on Gibson’s jacket, while his DNA was also found on her clothing at the scene.
Glasgow High Court heard how Gibson had appeared emotionless on the day Amber’s body was found as he spoke with his and his sister’s former foster father, Craig Niven.
Giving evidence during the trial, Mr Niven had said he would not leave the siblings in each other’s company because they were ‘not a good mix’.
Gibson had been living at a homeless hostel in the town at the time of Amber’s murder, while she was at a children’s home nearby.
The two had been seen on CCTV heading towards the park shortly before she was killed, with footage showing Gibson leaving alone a short while later.
A phone seized from Gibson’s residence following his arrest meanwhile revealed messages sent from his Snapchat account to friends in the early hours of November 27, writing: ‘I’m really going to need you guys help with something when yous come back. I’m being serious.’
A message was then sent to Amber, asking ‘are you ok?’, before another was sent to the same previous friends saying, ‘nvm (never mind) it’s all good’.
Iain Currie, manager of Hillhouse children’s home, told the court he spoke to Gibson at about 9pm on November 26 after he called to speak with his sister, but noted him appearing ‘sharp’ on the phone after making no greeting.
Stephen Corrigan, 45, was convicted of the lesser charge after standing trial alongside Gibson. He is understood to have been unknown to Amber’s murderer.
Corrigan denied interfering with Amber’s body and failing to call emergency services, claiming he had been with his father recovering from an arm injury after falling on ice at the time.
Corrigan’s DNA was found in 39 parts on her body, a fact he failed to come up with an answer for when probed by detectives.
Following the verdict, a detective on the case said both men’s names should be forgotten, with focuses instead kept on Amber.
