A crime scene investigator who helped police nail serial killer Peter Tobin has spoken out for the first time about the murderer’s attempts to cover up his crimes – with a giant rockery.
Peter Faulding, who is one of the world’s leading forensic search experts, was brought in by detectives to rip apart Tobin’s West Lothian old home after they discovered that he lived in the area when Vicky Hamilton disappeared in February 1991.
But it was a suspiciously large rockery that led them to the pit where the body of 15-year-old Vicky had been buried before being moved by Tobin when he moved house years later.
Lifting the lid on evil Tobin’s crimes, Peter said: “We’d already ripped apart the garden and discovered signs the ground had been disturbed under a giant rockery in the back garden and that heightened for us the possibility that we would find something in
the house.”
Peter, who has worked on dozens of high-profile murders including the “spy in the bag” death of MI6 agent Gareth Williams, said at the time they didn’t know they were on the cusp of snaring one of Scotland’s most notorious serial killers.
Vicky disappeared from a bus stop in Bathgate after a weekend with her sister in Livingston.
It was the first time the 15-year-old would make the journey back to her mum’s house in Redding, Stirlingshire, alone.
Tobin, 75, was eventually convicted of her murder in 2008 following an investigation which led to the discovery of Vicky’s body in a
garden in Margate, Kent.
The body of 18-year-old Dinah McNicol was also found buried there.
Peter said: “Tobin was charged with killing Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in September 2006 and it was during that inquiry, Operation Anagram, that it was discovered Tobin had actually been living in a house in Robertson Avenue, Bathgate, when Vicky disappeared.
“The investigators had been building up a picture of Tobin’s life. Meanwhile, a cold case review had been set up by Lothian and Borders Police called Operation Mahogany in spring 2006.
Peter went on: “When they realised the link with Tobin, they gave Lothian and Borders the breakthrough they needed to search Robertson Avenue and that’s where I was involved.
“We spent a week ripping the garden and house apart. We didn’t realise at the time the significance of it all. We were just doing our jobs but we knew police had to keep their interest in Tobin secret for fear of prejudicing the Glasgow case.
“They already had a DNA link on Vicky’s purse that matched Tobin’s son so the house in Bathgate was an area of massive interest.”
Peter, a former Parachute Regiment reservist, went in with a team from his company, Specialist Group International (SGI), with their groundbreaking cutting-edge technology.
He said: “We didn’t know much about Peter Tobin at that point. Our brief was to go in and strip the house with the intention of hopefully finding some evidence that Vicky Hamilton had been in there and perhaps still was.
“The first thing that caught my eye was the huge rockery in the back garden. It was an unusual feature. We removed it and police brought the cadaver dogs in.
Twice they reacted to the ground underneath the rockery.
“Our radar had shown the ground had been disturbed. We excavated the whole garden and suspected Vicky had been placed under there for a number of months before being moved.”
Next, the team moved inside and began systematically tearing apart every room.
He said: “Our radar also detected disturbance under the kitchen floor so that was torn up but it turned out to be natural subsidence.
“When we got into the attic there were several old belongings from Tobin that had stayed there for 16 years.
“In among the lagging and a corner of the loft, we discovered a knife. It had either fallen or been placed between an end joist next to a supporting wall, in a gap about 6cm wide and 20cm deep.
“It was sent for analysis and came back pretty quickly that there was traces of tissue belonging to Vicky on it. We were elated because that linked Tobin to Vicky.
“It really was a eureka moment because we felt we were close to discovering what happened to Vicky. Her body was found just a few months later 500 miles away.”
Peter, who specialises in “no body” murder investigations, was sent to search another of Tobin’s homes, this time in Portsmouth.
He said: “It was just a room in a shared house but again we had to strip it and comb every inch of it. I think it was at that point we realised we had just nailed a serial killer.
“We didn’t find anything of significance in Portsmouth but I have no doubt there are many more victims of Peter Tobin buried in hidden places. His MO [modus operandi] is clearly to bury and conceal his victims.
“He may look like a frail old man but he is a dangerous predator who has caused misery for so many people. I feel nothing but hatred for the pain he has caused.”
● Peter Faulding will be appearing at CrimeCon UK in London on June 11 and 12 to discuss his career. Tickets can be bought at crimeconuk.seetickets.com/tour/crimecon-uk
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