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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Claire Galloway

Woman who believes dad murdered schoolgirl Moira Anderson in tearful tribute to mark 65th anniversary

A woman who believes her father murdered schoolgirl Moira Anderson has led a tearful tribute to mark the 65th anniversary of her disappearance.

Sandra Brown was only eight when Moira vanished but has spent more than 30 years trying to prove her dad, Alexander Gartshore, was behind her abduction and death.

The 11-year-old vanished from her home in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, on February 23, 1957.

Cops have never found Moira's remains despite major efforts but, in 2012, the case was finally declared a murder inquiry.

Sandra, who set up the Moira Anderson Foundation in 2000, led mourners in a service on Wednesday and paid tribute to the "legacy this little girl has left".

A visibly emotional Sandra then led the group in prayer, with her voice breaking as she stood next to a memorial bench dedicated to Moira in her home town.

The case of Moira's disappearance remains one of the most high profile unsolved murders in Scotland and Sandra has fought for answers for decades.

Her father Gartshore abandoned his family when Sandra was a child but she was spurred into a quest for the truth after he made a chilling confession to his father at a family funeral in Coatbridge in 1992.

After uncovering her father's previous sexual convictions and discovering circumstantial evidence, Sandra reported her concerns to the police and has been fighting for justice ever since.

Bus driver and convicted rapist Gartshore had been on bail for sexual offences relating to another young girl when Moira vanished.

Moira was the last passenger on a bus driven by Gartshore, then 36, on a freezing day in ­blizzard conditions.

Gartshore kept secret any involvement in her disappearance for more than three decades until he revealed at a family funeral: “My father never forgave me for Moira Anderson.”

He died, aged 85, in a Leeds hospital in April 2006 never having been charged in relation to Moira but the Crown Office has since said he should have been ­prosecuted for her murder.

Sandra says her persistent regret is how the body of her father's victim has never been found.

The 73-year-old is more determined than ever to prove beyond any doubt that her dad was responsible for the 11-year-old schoolgirl’s death.

In a video shared by the Moira Anderson Foundation, Sandra was joined by the charity's secretary Mina Campbell who also paid a moving tribute.

Fighting back tears, she said: "Today, marks the 65th anniversary of the day Moira Anderson went out on an errand to the shops but sadly never returned.

"65 years of her family and friends missing her and not knowing where she was, or what had happened to her.

"Moira's parents passed away without ever knowing the truth, while her two sisters Janet and Margery have never given up hope of finding her.

"Despite the passing of those 65 years and thanks to the relentless efforts of Sandra Brown who has pushed and pleaded for action to be taken by police the search for Moira continues."

She added: "Whilst we will probably never know what happened that fateful day, hope remains that one day very soon, Moira will be found and given the proper send-off that she so very much deserves."

Police have confirmed the case remains a 'live investigation' over six decades since she went missing.

The force has appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Suzie Chow, who heads Police Scotland’s Homicide Governance and Review - cold case - unit, says it “remains a live investigation.”

She added: “I would appeal to the public for any information which will assist with recovering Moira’s remains.

"Any new information or intelligence which is passed to police will be assessed and investigated thoroughly.”

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