The Daily Record. Wednesday, 25 March 2010. Page 1.
CLUELESS
‘CSI’ psychologist admits Cutter cops are baffled
EXCLUSIVE by Keith Imrie, Chief Reporter. The forensic psychologist assisting Strathclyde Police with The Cutter murders has admitted that the force have ‘no worthwhile leads’ in their hunt for the killer. Dr Paul Crabtree, a consultant on US drama CSI, said that officers were out of ideas and resorting to ‘hoping that something would turn up’. A week on from the vicious murder of Cutter victim number five, Inchinnan dentist Brian Sinclair, the revelation will be seen as a devastating blow to the police investigation. Criticism has continued to mount against the police as the hunt goes into its thirteenth month without any tangible success. There are believed to be deep rifts within the investigation team and there are widespread rumours of officers from an outside force being parachuted in to ‘assist’ with the case. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Record, Dr Crabtree gave a remarkable insight into the profile he has drawn up for officers as well as a depressing assessment of their progress. ‘I am firmly of the opinion that this killer is striking randomly and that there is no discernible pattern to either when or who he strikes,’ he said. ‘That makes him extremely dangerous and, by extension, extremely difficult to apprehend. However there are certain characteristics that we can confidently assign to him and these can form a basis of elimination as well as inclusion. ‘I believe that the killer is a man, aged between 18 to 50 and with his own car. He seems to have issues with men rather than women and may well have close ties to a female figure in his life, probably his mother. This has manifested itself in deep-rooted hatred of men and it may be that his significant female figure may have been significantly abused or hurt by a male figure. ‘It may be too that he has a grievance against the city of Glasgow and that is an avenue worth exploring. ‘He is also likely to have issues with authority as he seems to be taunting the police over their inability to catch him. He sees himself, quite wrongly of course, as omnipotent and far smarter than the police. Indeed I fear he is possessed of what we term Roman Emperor Syndrome, the quest in the killer for something even beyond omnipotent control, for the complete subjugation and slow destruction of others. ‘The sending of the victim’s finger to police is a clear indicator of his belief in his own invulnerability and his desire for publicity. He believes he is untouchable but moreover he wants everyone to know about his power. ‘These particular murders are unusual because they are crimes with no obvious indication or links as to why they would happen. In most cases there are clear connections but not in these. ‘I have to say that police are at the stage where they have exhausted all logical lines of possibility and are simply hoping that something will turn up or that the killer will make some fundamental mistake. There are no worthwhile leads and they are praying that one surfaces before he strikes again.’ Dr Crabtree, who was brought into the investigation after the third murder, that of Thomas Tierney, has been critical in the past of the force’s reluctance to use forensic profiling techniques. There have been persistent rumours of friction between Dr Crabtree and DS Rachel Narey, the officer in charge of the investigation. Sources suggest that the two have argued in front of other officers on many occasions with DS Narey openly critical of the psychologist’s assessments. It is thought that she disagrees with his opinion that there is no connection between the victims. While not confirming those suggestions, Dr Crabtree said that there had been some disagreements over strategy. ‘Differing members of an investigation team often take differing approaches,’ he said. ‘This is not unusual and may even be seen as constructive. It is important that everyone keeps an open mind on all avenues that may be conducive to bringing this case to an end.’