A “beware book” kept by women working in Glasgow’s red-light district around the time of Emma Caldwell’s murder could be damning for police if its contents were uncovered, a retired detective has said.
The book was used by women involved in prostitution to warn each other about potentially dangerous or suspicious clients, at a time when they felt they had to rely on “their wits and each other, not the authorities” to remain safe.
Kept at the city’s Base 75 drop-in centre, the book contained information such as vehicle registrations, names, nicknames and descriptions of clients.
One woman who wrote in the book claimed that the clients listed in it included “lawyers, police, all sorts”.
The “beware book” was taken as evidence by police during the investigation into Caldwell’s murder in 2005. It has since “gone missing”.
Stuart Hall, a retired detective, was tasked with seizing the book on his first day of the investigation.
Stuart Hall worked on the investigation into Emma Caldwell’s murder
“I never read its contents. But the book was seized, and it was taken back to the inquiry and handed over. That was my involvement with the beware book,” he told radio station Clyde 1’s Beware Book podcast series.
“I had a quick flick through it, it was different coloured pens and different handwriting inside, messages from people to people, or car registration numbers, things like that.”
Asked why the book appeared to have “gone missing”, Mr Hall said when the investigation ended in 2007, all the evidence would have been “packaged up and taken elsewhere” – but that there could be “other reasons” for its disappearance.
“It would have been a very valuable piece of evidence. However, it would have been a very destructive piece of evidence if the bosses were looking to go down another line of inquiry.”
Callum McQuade, a podcast co-host, asked him: “So you think it could have been damning for them?”
“Yes,” Mr Hall replied.
In 2007, a group of Turkish men were arrested in relation to Caldwell’s death, but the case against them collapsed.
It was not until 2024 that Iain Packer was convicted of her murder, along with a string of sexual offences against other women.
Iain Packer was convicted in 2024 – Police Scotland
One of Packer’s victims, who was involved in prostitution in the city for nearly 20 years, told the podcast there were multiple beware books, as each one would be full “by the end of the year”.
The woman, referred to as Claire, said she wrote in the book herself on one occasion, and that the clients listed in it included “lawyers, police, all sorts”.
She said the police were “always in Base 75” and that they would have been able to tamper with the books, such as by tearing pages or scoring out names or vehicle registration details.
She also said she did not think police took the information in the book seriously, or it would not have taken nearly 20 years to charge Packer with Caldwell’s murder.
She added: “I don’t even know who went over the books. Where did the book go at the end?”
Iain Packer during his police interview – Police Scotland/PA
In February 2024, Packer was jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years after being found guilty of killing Caldwell and hiding her body.
A public inquiry, chaired by Lord Scott KC, is to examine the police investigation into the 27-year-old’s murder.
Police Scotland Dept Chief Constable Alan Speirs said earlier: “Emma Caldwell’s family have shown incredible courage and determination following her murder in 2005 and we are absolutely committed to supporting the inquiry and getting her loved ones the answers they deserve.”