Caldwell murder accused told police he lied about knowing her, trial hears

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A man accused of murdering a sex worker told police in a statement he lied about knowing her and had seen her “10 or 11 times”, his trial has heard.

Iain Packer, 50, attended Cathcart Police Station on August 4, 2006 to give a voluntary witness statement to detective David Barr.

Now retired, Mr Barr, 58, gave evidence at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, where he was asked a series of questions about Packer’s statement.

Advocate depute Richard Goddard KC took Mr Barr through the statement.

Packer is accused of murdering Emma Caldwell, 27, in 2005, and faces 46 charges involving a number of women, including rape as well as abduction and assault.

He denies all the charges against him, and has lodged special defences of incrimination, consent, defence of another and self-defence.

When giving his statement, Packer told Mr Barr he lied about not knowing Miss Caldwell, the court heard.

Mr Goddard read out part of Packer’s statement, which said: “In my previous statement, I told police I did not know Emma Caldwell.

“This is a lie. I did know her. I have been with her 10 or 11 times, maybe more or maybe less.”

The court heard Packer had met Miss Caldwell at Glasgow Green for the first time in 2004 or 2005, where he said she approached him and asked if he was “looking for business”.

Packer told the detective he thought Miss Caldwell was “quite pretty” and “presentable”.

He paid Miss Caldwell for a sex act, he told the officer.

The court heard he met Miss Caldwell a few months later and made another sexual request, which he said she agreed to.

Packer told the officer he started having sex but said she then told him she did not want to do it anymore.

The court heard Packer told the detective he carried on, and told Miss Caldwell “We agreed before we started” and that he had “paid” and wanted something.

The court also heard Packer had taken five young women in total to woods near Biggar, South Lanarkshire.

He told police in August 2006 that he “became angry” with one girl because she did not want to take her clothes off and “banged” his fists off his steering wheel.

In the statement, he told police he “loved the thrill” of using prostitutes and “the buzz I got” from doing so.

He also told police in the interview that he used sex chat lines “just for the thrill of it” and he would perform a sex act on himself while using them.

The court heard Packer took out personal loans to fund his use of prostitutes.

Mr Goddard asked Mr Barr: “Is that what he says?”

Mr Barr replied: “Yes.”

The court previously heard Packer said he did not know Miss Caldwell well and that he did not know her name until there were police appeals following her death.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.