A Slovakian man has been found guilty of the murder of Glasgow businesswoman Moira Jones.
Marek Harcar, 33, had been on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of abducting, raping and murdering sales adviser Ms Jones, 40, in Queen's Park, Glasgow, last May. The judge sentenced him to life in prison, for a minimum of 25 years.
Outside the court, Moira's mother Beatrice spoke on behalf of the family. She said: "Our hearts have been gouged out and we have been left with ragged weeping wounds."
She continued: "Our precious girl had her life stolen from her in the most savage way by an evil depraved monster, a monster without the guts to confess and who prolonged the agony of the trial."
She added: "We are desperate that Moira be remembered for the very wonderful person that she was and not for how she died. We have set up a fund, the Moira Fund, we hope that in Moira's name we can help others by offering respite aid to those who find themselves in a similar situation to ours.
"Moira, darling, darling Moira, we were so proud of you and we will do the best we can with our lives to make them worthy of you."
"You will live with us forever."
Detective Superintendent Derek Robertson, of Strathclyde Police, who led the investigation, said he hoped today's convictions meant Ms Jones's family could begin to rebuild their lives. He said: "This has been a very harrowing time for Moira's parents, brother, partner and friends.
"Their presence in court must have been extremely difficult as they heard the evidence unfold."
The officer added: "With the conviction of Marek Harcar, I hope that Moira's family can now move some way to rebuilding their lives."
Mr Robertson also thanked people in the area of Glasgow where Ms Jones was murdered for their cooperation with the inquiry.
"The rape and murder of a young woman in a public park obviously caused a great deal of fear and concern for the local residents and in particular women who frequented the area.
"The local community and public in general have to be thanked for their cooperation, understanding and continual support all of which greatly assisted the investigation."
On May 28 2008, Moira parked her car near the Queens Drive home where she lived. Police suspect from there Ms Jones was forced into Queen's Park where she was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped upon.
Harcar then raped and murdered her before taking the woman's mobile phones and jewellery – and, critically, some of her splattered blood on his jacket. Witnesses heard screams coming from the park, prompting one man to tell his partner walking nearby, "If someone's been murdered, we've just heard it."
Another witness, an artist, heard a female voice shout "stop it" and saw a man sitting on the grass next to a bush as he walked his dog in the park. Steven Hanson provided police with sketches of what he saw and said he heard the man speaking with an Eastern European accent.
RESOURCES
The life of Moira Jones was filled with love
As Harcar fled Scotland – eventually for his native Slovakia – Ms Jones's body laid dead or dying. Discovered at daylight by park rangers, she was naked except for a pair of socks, face down, hair matted and bloodied. A pathologist said she suffered 65 separate injuries in the attack.
The Crown shared the scientifically most compelling evidence on the final day from the prosecution. A forensic scientist told the jury how she took DNA samples from several items of clothing worn that night by Ms Jones. Carol Weston said her analysis provided a match to Harcar and that the chances of DNA belonging to someone other than him were more than a billion to one.
A leather jacket worn by Harcar included blood spots not visible to the eye. Again, they matched the DNA profile of Ms Jones. Harcar is pictured wearing the leather jacket in question following his arrest in Slovakia.
CCTV footage shown to the jury showed Harcar in the Queen's Park area on the night of the murder. A police officer told the court that Harcar could be identified by a distinctive walk, and could also be seen on other footage including some that was shot in Luton and Stanstead airports on June the first, on his way to the Czech Republic.
The officer also pointed out that in both the Glasgow and London footage he appeared to be wearing the same clothes, including a leather jacket.
In her closing statement, Elish Angiolini, the Lord Advocate of Scotland who represented the Crown, said: "There is an overwhelming and compelling combination of circumstances in this case which, when taken together, provide an irresistible inference that the man sitting in this dock today is Moira Jones's killer."
And, four weeks to the day after beginning the trial, the jury agreed.
