Family of murdered Edinburgh woman Elaine Collie call for ‘meaningful’ parole changes - including longer review waits for most dangerous criminals

Fred Collie, whose sister Elaine Collie was sexually assaulted and suffocated by vile John Reid during a robbery at her Muirhouse home in 1999, would also like to see victims and their families have the opportunity to attend hearings and meet with members of the parole board face to face.

Mr Collie says this would create “meaningful improvements” to a justice system which he feels has been “indifferent” to victims of the most serious crimes - and his calls have been backed by a number of opposition politicians.

Reid was jailed for life after pleading guilty to Elaine’s murder and it was recommended he serve at least 15 years - but her family believe the sentence was too lenient.

Mr Collie and his son Jason, who is a journalist, carried out their own investigation into Reid’s past offences and compiled a dossier of statements from a number of his previous victims, as well as analyses from clinical psychologists. They believe this shows his earlier assault convictions were sexually motivated and part of a pattern of escalating violence that was not taken into account when he was handed the 15-year jail term.

Since 2014, Reid has been coming up for parole hearings every two years - a requirement by law - and Mr Collie, as Elaine’s next of kin, is able to make a representation by sending the dossier to the parole board each time.

Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News from his home in New Zealand, Mr Collie said: “When you see what’s gone on in the background with this offender, he is basically wasting the Parole Board’s time and it’s clear to see he won’t be ready for another four or five years.”

Mr Collie wants the Scottish Government to give the Parole Board the ability to extend the parole review period from two years to three.

He said: “This would give victims a welcome two year break between hearings and in cases with extremely violent and dangerous offenders such as Reid, it is not unreasonable.

“In New Zealand, the system now allows parole boards to defer for five years, but the system there also has its flaws. In a case like ours, we get a one year respite before psyching ourselves up for it again. Your mind starts to move to it again and you start reliving the whole thing.”

But he stressed the Parole Board, especially members considering Reid’s case, have been “extremely helpful and transparent” within the present law and Reid remains in prison today.

Elaine’s Murder

John Reid conned his way into his neighbour Elaine’s flat in Muirhouse in April 1999.

He hit her on the head with a weapon, tied her to a bed and gagged her with a towel before carrying out a brutal and sadistic sexual assault. He then tortured her with electric shocks from a blanket.

Reid also forced Elaine to reveal her PIN number and stole jewellery from her home and £350 from her bank account - then suffocated her.

Reid, who is now in his early 60s, claimed he was drunk at the time and could remember nothing of the attack but said he felt remorse for his actions.

At the High Court in Edinburgh in October 1999, he was jailed for life after pleading guilty to her murder.

But the family claims an “untrue impression” of his previous offending was given through the defence lawyer’s plea in mitigation.

This led to Mr Collie and his son tracking down and interviewing women who were attacked by Reid in 1975, 1985 and 1986. The first and last incidents resulted in him being locked up for three months and a year respectively after admitting assault.

And their investigations suggested both cases involved women being attacked from behind and had sexual elements.

The 1985 case, in which a 14-year-old girl who had been drinking was allegedly lured to his home and forced to undress at knifepoint, was not taken to court.

Details were also uncovered of an alleged assault on a man with learning difficulties in Edinburgh in 1987, which also never went to court..

Mr Collie said that when he and Jason sat down with each of these victims, they recognised how much of an impact the incidents had on their lives.

Mr Collie added: “The last thing I want is that guy back on the street.”

‘Outdated parole system’

The Edinburgh Evening News previously reported how Elaine’s family were let down by the justice system after not receiving notification of Reid’s latest parole hearing from the Scottish Prison Service managed Victim Notification Scheme (VNS), due to an administrative error.

Mr Collie raised a formal complaint with the cabinet secretary for justice Humza Yousaf in April last year, highlighting concerns about the handling of the situation and that the VNS’s omission to notify may have, in turn, potentially affected the decision of the parole board at Reid’s hearing in the summer.

The family acknowledged Reid’s release would have been unlikely but they want to ensure such “blunders” are not repeated so that other victims and their families are not let down by the system.

The family of murdered 17-year-old Michelle Stewart, who was stabbed to death by her ex boyfriend John Wilson near her Ayrshire home in 2008, have also spent years campaigning to strengthen rights for victims of crime. In April 2009, Wilson was given a life sentence with a minimum of 12 years in prison, and was deemed eligible for temporary release in 2018.

Michelle’s family want a range of measures to be introduced which they have called Michelle’s Law, including improvements to the VNS and the creation of “exclusion zones” where offenders can not go during early release.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary, Liam Kerr, said: "Time and time again we hear heartbreaking stories about the SNP's soft touch justice system giving little consideration to the victims of serious crime.

"Scotland's secretive and outdated parole system should be overhauled to become fully transparent and to prioritise the rights of victims and their families.

“That's why the Scottish Conservatives would implement Michelle’s Law, which would allow victims to make representations in person at parole hearings.

"This family's call to reduce the frequency of these reviews should be considered by the SNP. Victims' families should not be re-traumatised by the system."

Scottish Labour justice spokesperson, Rhoda Grant, said: “The justice system must be sensitive to the needs of families, realising that the impacts of murder never go away for a family.

“The way in which this family has been treated appears to fall far short of this requirement and I hope the Cabinet Secretary for Justice responds to their concerns and apologises for the way in which they have been treated.

“There would appear to be merit in exploring what they suggest. As well as this, individual victims and their families need much more individual support and better communication.

“As with any system there must be checks and balances to ensure justice is served.”

‘Committed’ to making improvements

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family of Ms Collie. We have been working on a number of reforms to Scotland’s system of parole, including amending the Parole Board rules to make clear that the Board can take the safety and security of victims and families of victims into account when considering release, and that it is able to publish a summary of its decisions while also providing for a defined process for victims and their families to attend parole hearings.

“When sentencing a person to life in prison the court must set a ‘punishment part’ of the sentence – that is the minimum time the person must serve in prison before being considered for release. Only when the punishment part has been served will the person be considered for review.

“We continue to push forward our current reforms, with changes due to be in place this spring. The Justice Secretary has also committed to bring together all relevant partners to discuss the Victim Notification Scheme and determine where improvements could be made.”

Elaine’s family say they will welcome any genuine review of the system leading to practical improvements.

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