A chilling new online series by Daily Record revisits some of the nation’s most shocking crimes, beginning with a four-bedroom villa in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute that became pivotal in solving one of Scotland’s most harrowing cases. The property on Ardbeg Road played a crucial role in the conviction of Aaron Campbell for the rape and murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail.
On July 2, 2018, Alesha was asleep in her grandparents’ home when Campbell, then just 16, broke in during the early hours. Prosecutors said he had been searching for cannabis after previously purchasing drugs from her father. Instead, he abducted the child from her bed and carried her to nearby woodland, where she was subjected to a brutal attack and left with 117 injuries.
The following morning, Alesha’s grandparents raised the alarm, triggering a massive search operation across the island. Her body was discovered hours later, devastating the tight-knit community and drawing national attention.
As detectives worked to identify a suspect, a breakthrough came from within Campbell’s own household. His mother contacted police after reviewing CCTV footage from their home, captured during the hours Alesha disappeared. The footage became a key piece of evidence, placing Campbell at the center of the investigation.
The case remains one of Scotland’s most notorious crimes, and the Rothesay villa stands as a haunting reminder of the tragedy that unfolded — and the evidence that ultimately secured justice.