A woman falsely accused of murdering tragic schoolgirl Alesha MacPhail has posted a touching tribute to the youngster.
Toni McLachlan was only 18 when she was forced to defend herself during the trial of Alesha's killer Aaron Campbell.
The twisted murderer pointed the finger of blame at Toni, who was the girlfriend of Alesha's father Robert MacPhail, and said she had murdered the youngster and tried to frame him.
However the jury saw through his lies and convicted Campbell, who was only 16 when he raped and murdered Alesha on the Isle of Bute in July 2018.
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Yesterday, Campbell had his 27-year jail sentence for Alesha's murder reduced to 24 years, sparking anger from her family and loved ones.
Toni, 19, reacted to the news by sharing an adorable picture of Alesha enjoying a day on the beach.
She accompanied the picture with the words: "The only person's face I want to see flooding my news feed!
"Such a beautiful angel I love and miss you with all my heart Alesha until we meet again my bestie."
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Like many of those who loved Alesha, Toni is keen to remember her smiling face rather than that of Campbell, and will not share pictures of the killer.
Earlier this month, Toni, shared another sweet memory and posted a picture of Alesha and her wearing matching trainers.
She accompanied the post with the words: "Matching with my girl, only way we could get a pair of jeans on her. Love you forever and always angel."
Evil Campbell attempted to incriminate Toni during his trial at the High Court in Glasgow in February 2019.
He claimed that he and Toni had sex prior to the murder and that she had used the condom to plant DNA on Alesha's body. Toni insisted they had never had sex.
Asked how his DNA was found on Alesha, Campbell told the court: "The only thing I can think is that Toni took the condom and she's gone and killed her, killed Alesha."
Despite pleading his innocence throughout the trial, Campbell later admitted his guilt to a court psychologist.
He also said he was “quite satisfied” with the murder and had to “zip his mouth” to stop himself laughing during the trial.
The trauma of being falsely accused took its toll on Toni.
Following Campbell's conviction, her gran Margaret Wood told the Record: “It’s taken the legs away from under her and she has lost so much weight over the last seven months.
"She is in bits. Everyone around her has been giving their support but it’s very difficult.
“It’s my granddaughter who he has been accusing, so I don’t think you need to ask how we’re feeling. Horrendous is just not the word for it.
“But it’s the poor wee soul who is not with us anymore that this is all about.”
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Campbell abducted Alesha from her bed at her grandparents’ home on Bute on July 2 last year.
The schoolgirl, from Airdrie, had been staying on the island with her dad for the start of the summer holidays.
After sneaking into the attic flat with the intention of robbing Alesha’s dad of cannabis, Campbell found Alesha sleeping and carried her to woods, where he raped, strangled and suffocated her.
He left her naked body, which had 117 injuries, to be discovered by a member of a search party the next morning and set about trying to cover up his brutal crime.
When sentencing Campbell back in March, Judge Lord Matthews said he was a "cold, callous, calculating, remorseless and dangerous individual" who had shown a "staggering lack of remorse."
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