Bobbi-Anne McLeod: Indie guitarist pleads guilty to murder of girl, 18, who vanished after waiting at bus stop
Cody Ackland, 24, told he will receive life sentence for death of student last seen waiting for bus in Plymouth
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A musician has pleaded guilty to the murder of 18-year-old student Bobbi-Anne McLeod, who disappeared while waiting for a bus in Plymouth.
Cody Ackland, 24, entered the plea during a plea and trial preparation hearing at Plymouth Crown Court on Tuesday.
He appeared in the dock dressed in jeans and a grey sweater and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and enter his guilty plea to murdering the teenager on a date between 19 and 23 November 2021.
Richard Posner, prosecuting, asked for sentencing to be delayed as he was awaiting further evidence from a neuropathologist’s report that he hoped to be able to serve on the court before the end of the month.
He said when he had received it, he would be ready to set out a full sentencing note detailing the facts of the murder.
Ray Tully QC, for Ackland, said he would be providing the court with a psychiatric report about the defendant ahead of the sentencing hearing.
Judge Robert Linford warned Ackland he would receive a statutory life sentence as he listed the case for sentence on 19 May, adding: “The only issue will be the minimum term.”
Ms McLeod’s mother, father and brother were seated in the public gallery while the victim’s friends and extended family watched the proceedings in a separate courtroom via video link.
The victim’s mother, Donna McLeod, was in tears throughout the brief hearing.
The judge remanded Ackland, of Radcliffe Close, Southway, Plymouth, into custody to reappear at court for sentencing next month.
He also thanked the public for the “commendable way you have once again behaved during proceedings”.
Ms McLeod was last seen waiting at a bus stop on Bampton Road near her home in the Plymouth suburb of Leigham on the evening of Saturday 20 November 2021 as she headed into town to meet friends.
Her body was discovered three days later near a beach at Bovisand, South Hams, about seven miles away.
Police said there was “no known link” between Ms McLeod and Ackland.
No cause of death for the teenager was given during an inquest opening held last year.
Ms McLeod’s distraught mother thanked the community of Leigham for their support as hundreds attended a candelit vigil at the spot where the student was last seen alive in November.
“Thank you for doing everything to try and find her and bring our baby home,” she said.
Her older brother Lee, who begged people to help him search for his sister, whom he was convinced had been kidnapped, paid an emotional tribute after police found a body three days after her disappearance.
Sharing a photo of the siblings in their primary school uniform on Facebook, he wrote: “Until we meet again sis. I love you.
“You didn’t deserve this such a beautiful and talented girl and to have you as my little sister the adventure and journey we had been on will always be treasured. Now go rest easy.”
Ackland was the lead guitarist in Plymouth-based indie band Rakuda, which released its first EP in August last year.
The other members of Rakuda announced in November they would disband “with immediate effect”. Weeks later they said they would be taking a “short hiatus from the music scene” with a view to reforming in the spring of 2022.
Speaking after the court hearing on Tuesday, Alison Hernandez, police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, said: “I can’t even start to imagine the pain that Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family and friends have been through over these past few months.
“While there is no justice that can bring Bobbi-Anne back, I’m pleased this case will be concluded swiftly and I truly hope the family will get the answers they need to provide some closure on this terrible incident.
“I’d like to thank the police for their hard work in bringing Cody Ackland to justice.
“I’d also like to thank the community of Plymouth who have shown courage, empathy and incredible support during this dark time for the city.”
Nikki Leaper, assistant chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, added: “Our thoughts remain with the McLeod family and those close to Bobbi-Anne who have had a daughter, sister and friend so cruelly taken from them.”
Additional reporting by Press Association