“I think her last words would have been mammy”
The words of Jacqueline Gallagher’s mum, during a heartbreaking interview with us in the family home – as she tries to describe a pain that took their breath away in 1996 and never gave it back.
A pain which started when Jackie was found dead, wrapped in a homemade curtain, near a bus stop in Bowling. The 26-year-old from Paisley, suffered more than 100 injuries. George Johnstone – a frequent client - stood trial for her murder but the case against him was found not proven.
We speak to mum Alice and stepdad Robert more than 20 years later, the same length of time since they last heard from police about their daughter’s murder.
We also hear from the sister of Tracey Wylde who was choked to death at her flat in the north side of the city a year later, in 1997.
Bernadette was just 12 years old when her sister was killed. She tells us of being hounded by reporters and photographers who gathered outside her school, hoping to catch her off guard just to grab the next day’s headline.
Tracey’s killer - Zhi Min Chen – was eventually caught after more than twenty years of heartache and uncertainty. So, what advice does her family have for Alice and Robert ahead of the 30th anniversary of Jackie’s murder later this year?
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast and need mental-health support or want to talk about your feelings, visit the Hub of Hope to find services in your area.
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If you think you might have information about any of the people we’ve mentioned you can get in touch with us at bewarebook@bauermedia.co.uk
Written, created, presented and produced by Collette McGonigle
Presented and produced by Callum McQuade
Executive Producers - Laurence Bassett & Henrietta Harrison
Sound Design - James Stodd & Michelle Homan
Designer - Ben Watkins
Production Manager - Sarah Nicholls
Legal Counsel - Jonathan McNaul for Bauer Media Group and Caroline Marshall for Reviewed & Cleared
Head of Production - Cat Moran
Chief Creative Officer, Podcasts - Lucie Cave
Director of News and Sport, Scotland and Northern Ireland - Lorraine Herbison Hollinshead
Beware Book is a Rayo Original podcast by Bauer Media
