The mother of a 15-year-old girl who was murdered last year has posted heartbreaking details about the attack following the killer’s request for a shorter sentence.
In March of 2016, Scottish teenager Paige Doherty was stabbed more than 60 times by 32-year-old John Leathem. According to the BBC, the “frenzied attack” occurred at Leathem’s deli in West Dunbartonshire, where Paige attempted to apply for a job. Leathem admitted to murdering the girl after she had threatened to report him for sexual assault. Paige’s body was found days later with 140 injuries.
In October of last year, Leathem was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison for the murder of the teenage girl; however, he has since asked a judge to reduce his punishment.
In light of his appeal, Paige’s mother, Pamela Munro, has detailed the horrific injuries her daughter sustained during the attack—reminding the world how much pain Leathem has caused.
I pray that the justice system of Scotland doesn't allow this man to have any sentence lowered whatsoever. Our little girl suffered the most horrific death I could imagine. […] She wasn't even six stone [84 pounds] against a man who had a knife, a screwdriver, and scissors […] I say time and time again about Paige’s injuries being played down and I understand why papers do not print the graphic details, but [I need] for the public to understand how barbaric this killing was.
Munro then writes she takes “no pleasure in disclosing these details” of the murder, and does not intend to offend anyone.
“If I could beg for his sentence to be made higher, I would,” she stated. “But again, we have no rights to appeal only the accused has that right. Every right has remained with him while our daughter was just a statistic in the system.”
You can read the full Facebook post here.
