Serial killer Peter Tobin: Scots schoolgirl's family fear he took secret victims to his grave

The number of girls and women targeted by serial killer may never be known, the sister of a Scottish schoolgirl slain by the murderer fear.
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The younger sister of Vicky Hamilton said her family, of Redding, near Falkirk, was torn apart by her disappearance in 1991.

Vicky, 15, was travelling from Livingston, West Lothian, when she got off her bus in Bathgate and went for a bag of chips.

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The ‘brightly, bubbly and fun’ teenager was never seen again after being offered of a lift from Tobin.

Serial killer: Tobin had been ordered to serve three life sentences with a 'whole life' tariffSerial killer: Tobin had been ordered to serve three life sentences with a 'whole life' tariff
Serial killer: Tobin had been ordered to serve three life sentences with a 'whole life' tariff

The former Lothian and Borders Police cold cases unit dusted down its files on her disappearance in 2007 after Tobin was jailed for life for murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk and dumping her body in a below floor storage area next to a Glagow RC church’s confessional.

Ms Kluk, 23, is understood to have possibly been still alive when she was placed in the custom-built store by Tobin.

Her midweek disappearance sparked a massive manhunt and a police press conference at the church.

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The body was discovered stabbed and bludgeoned 16 times at the church – St Pat’s in Glasgow’s Anderston – where Tobin was a handmnay using the name Pat McLaughlin. Ms Kluk, from near Gdansk, worked as a church cleaner.

Known victims: Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicolKnown victims: Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol
Known victims: Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol

Tobin callously claimed she was having affairs with a string of male parishioners, indicating that he was jealous of the attentions he gave them.

He vanished but turned up days later in a London hospital after feigning illness.

Tobin targeted Ms Kluk shortly after being released from a prison sentence in England for drugging and sexually assaulting two teenage babysitters as his infant son played in the same room.

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Both victims were given amitriptyline, a neuralgia drug often prescribed as an alternative anti-depressant to Valium.

It is thought Tobin gave Vicky Hamilton a soft drink laced with the pills and struck when she became drowsy.

Tobin later cut Vicky’s body in half and wrapped it up in black bin bags and a curtain.

He then fled south, setting up home in Margate, Kent, where Vicky lay undiscovered in a shallow grave in his garden for 17 years, alongside the remains of Dina McNichol, 18, who was targeted by Tobin as she hitch-hiked.

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Both bodies were only found after a search of the attic of Tobin’s former Bathgate home turned up a sheath knife with Vicky’s blood on it.

Tobin, who has always denied any crimes, died aged 76,in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on Saturday. He had stomach cancer and other complications.

Senior detectives tried to obtain a deathbed confession but he refused to speak about any other victims.

Ms Brown said: "It's been horrendous. It's ripped the family apart.

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"Obviously all the years not knowing what happened to Vicky and not knowing where she could be, if she was still out there. That affected us not having that closure."

Ms Brown said: "Now he's gone are there other families out there that aren't going to get that closure that we got.

"I was hoping that he would maybe come out when he got diagnosed with cancer, that he would maybe come out and tell people what he did, if he did have any kind of remorse.

"But he's clearly not the type of person that's got any."