Families seek answers over unsolved murders of Glasgow women
A podcast series is examining the murders of a number of women involved in prostitution.
Families of women who worked in Glasgow’s red light district are pushing for answers as to why their killers have never been found.
A new podcast series has spoken to relatives of a number of women involved in sex work who were killed in the 1990s and early 2000s.
One relative told Rayo’s Beware Book podcast she felt the police approach to the murder investigation was “corrupt” and officers did not go after the “big fish”.
The series examines the deaths of eight women during the period, four of which remain unsolved.
The first episode, which is released on Monday, focuses on the death of 23-year-old Diane McInally in 1991.
Her body was found in Pollok Park.
Two men were charged with her murder but later released due to a lack of evidence.
The podcast spoke to Diane’s aunt Elizabeth Glover and her cousin Shirley Waters.
They said they did not trust the police to find her killer.
Shirley said: “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, who is known as Dolly, added: “I think probably the prostitutes in the 50s, 60s, were safer than the ones now.”
She described Diane as a “lovely mother” who “went down the wrong road” as time went on.
Ms McInally’s family said she had been due to give evidence in a court case at the time she was killed.
She is thought to have been working in the Gorbals area of Glasgow when she died.
The Beware Book podcast takes its name from a journal which was used by women involved in sex work to warn each other about potentially dangerous or suspicious clients.
The podcast is being released following the conviction of Iain Packer, who was brought to justice almost two decades after murdering Emma Caldwell in 2005.
The relatives of those who were killed say they have not been contacted by Police Scotland.
As well as Ms McInally, the deaths of Karen McGregor, Leona McGovern and Jacqueline Gallagher have not been solved.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “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 said it does not consider the cases closed.
The first two episodes of Beware Book will be available from March 23 on the Rayo app, Apple, Amazon Music and other apps.
