Dad of man accused of 'inappropriately touching' Amber Gibson's body claims son had arm in sling at home

The father of a man accused of inappropriately touching a murdered teenager instead of alerting police told a jury he is not lying to protect his son.

William Corrigan, 79, earlier told the court his son, Stephen, stayed at his home during the night at the weekend when Amber Gibson, 16, went missing after a fall on the ice left his arm in a sling.

Stephen Corrigan, 45, is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of discovering the teenager’s body but, instead of alerting emergency services, he is alleged to have inappropriately touched and concealed her body between November 26 and 28, 2021.

Amber’s body was discovered at Cadzow Glen, Hamilton, on Saturday November 28. Her brother Connor Gibson, 20, also known by the surname Niven, is on trial accused of her murder.

Corrigan told the court his son had stayed at his house on the evening of Friday November 26 after feeling unwell from a coronavirus booster vaccine he had received earlier that day.

His other arm had been placed in a sling days earlier following a fall, his father said.

William Corrigan said his son was at his home and “in bed in agony” on the Saturday evening.

Corrigan said his son “probably” went upstairs to play video games but, when questioned, said he could not say definitely whether this occurred.

Advocate depute Richard Goddard asked Corrigan: “Can I suggest when you say you saw him lying in bed in agony on Saturday evening, you are just making it up to help out your son?”

Corrigan said: “I’m not making up stories – you are making up stories.”

He added: “He was in his bed. As far as I knew Stephen was in agony. He was bad.”

Corrigan’s lawyer, Rhonda Anderson, asked: “Would you come into this court to lie for your son?”

He replied: “Under no circumstances, no. I’m not a liar of any sort”.

Earlier, the court heard how Mr Corrigan left the house on Saturday to go to the bookmakers and returned home to find his son had left.

During cross-examination from Mr Goddard, Mr Corrigan was asked if he remembered what his son had done the previous week and following week surrounding the time in question.

He replied: “I couldn’t tell you.”

Corrigan said he fell asleep once he was home from the bookmakers on Saturday and his son had returned to the house when he woke.

Mr Goddard put it to him that he could not say where Corrigan was or what he was doing during that time. He replied: “That’s right.”

The court also heard from Gillian Marshall, who worked at the Hillhouse Children’s Home where Amber lived.

She told the court the teenager had “to be encouraged” to take a shower or have a bath.

Gibson, 20, is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his sister, Amber, and repeatedly inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body on November 26, 2021.

Prosecutors also allege he compressed the teenager’s neck with his hands and strangling her with the intention to rape her.

Charges of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of bloodstained clothes and attempting to pervert the course of justice by telling officers he had argued with his sister on November 26 before going to a friend’s house were dropped by the Crown.

Both men deny the charges against them, with Corrigan’s defence agent lodging a special defence of alibi on his behalf.

The trial, before judge Lord Mulholland, continues.