While the biographies of living persons policy does not apply directly to the subject of this article, it may contain material that relates to living persons, such as friends and family of persons no longer living, or living persons involved in the subject matter. Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about living persons must be removed immediately. If such material is re-inserted repeatedly, or if there are other concerns related to this policy, please see this noticeboard.
This article was reviewed by member(s) of WikiProject Articles for creation. The project works to allow users to contribute quality articles and media files to the encyclopedia and track their progress as they are developed. To participate, please visit the project page for more information.Articles for creationWikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creationTemplate:WikiProject Articles for creationAfC articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
An editor has requested that an image or photograph be added to this article.
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Crime and Criminal Biography articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Crime and Criminal BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyCrime-related articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Death, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Death on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.DeathWikipedia:WikiProject DeathTemplate:WikiProject DeathDeath articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Scotland, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Scotland and Scotland-related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ScotlandWikipedia:WikiProject ScotlandTemplate:WikiProject ScotlandScotland articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Sexology and sexuality, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of human sexuality on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Sexology and sexualityWikipedia:WikiProject Sexology and sexualityTemplate:WikiProject Sexology and sexualitySexology and sexuality articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Women, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of women on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.WomenWikipedia:WikiProject WomenTemplate:WikiProject WomenWikiProject Women articles
Thanks for help so far, first time I have written a wikipedia page. If you could, explain below. I don't know how to link this page with other mentions of Emma Caldwell, is this not possible unless the page has been approved from the draft stage?
Thanks for improving the references page, I wasn't sure how to do that. ScotPolHist (talk) 13:15, 17 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@ScotPolHist: Thank you for creating this article, I have moved it into mainspace now as I believe it is worthy of being here. I've added a few links to this page with other mentions of Emma Caldwell (you are right this would have to be done once it moved into mainspace); if there are any I've missed out please feel free to add links as you see fit! Thank you GnocchiFan (talk) 21:57, 22 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I will do, it is a case which has stumped many in past decades. Police Scotland have worked well to tackle and crack cold cases such as this, Caroline Clachan, and the murder of Renee MacRae. Although Emma's life was very sad, I am hopeful she will soon get her justice. ScotPolHist (talk) 10:24, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@GnocchiFan and @ScotPolHist: Wikipedia is not a news website, so we should not be writing articles about murder where there is a court case that is still proceeding and the accused person has not yet been convicted. Every accused person has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and convicted in a fair trial. Having this article published in mainspace puts those rights in jeopardy. There is a caution at WP:PERPETRATOR that "Editors must give serious consideration to not creating an article on an alleged perpetrator when no conviction is yet secured." That includes parts of an article that discuss the trial and its evidence. Please move this article back to draft, until such time as a conviction is handed down, as it is WP:TOOSOON to have this article in main space at the moment. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 10:49, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Although I do not believe this article will have any impact on the trial, it can be moved to draft until a verdict has been reached. This will likely be on Monday or Tuesday. ScotPolHist (talk) 12:02, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@GnocchiFan and @ScotPolHist: Thank-you for agreeing to delay putting this article into main-space until after the jury has returned a verdict in the trial.
@ScotPolHist, I understand your frustration at the delay in putting this article out into the public arena, but beginning the title this article with the words Murder of .... opens a can of worms about how to name an article when nobody has been convicted of murder. Wikipedia's standard for proving murder is conviction, not the police charging with murder or the news media reporting murder, or even the jury hearing all the evidence of a murder and being told by prosecutors to convict for murder. Until the point the jury returns a "Guilty" verdict on the murder charge, it is not murder, only a death or an act of killing a person. Murder has two aspects. (a) The act of killing someone, and (b) the intent to kill someone. While the act can be determined from the physical evidence and forensics of the crime scene, the intent is something only a judge and jury can decide. In some ways my objection is one of verification - until the jury returns its verdict, Wikipedia cannot verify it was murder. To do otherwise indicates a non-neutral point of view or original research because editors are giving their opinion by siding with one party or another over what the evidence means in the case. For the sake of a few days, I thought it far better to draftify this article temporarily, than choose the alternative option - Deletion - for violating the basic principles of having a Wikipeda article - and waiting a few days for the verdict to be returned. Also, Wikipedia does not speculate on future events. Please be patient. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 21:48, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The failed verification tag was added by Cameron Dewe here. As he says, the cited article doesn't explicitly say that the garotte which was found was used to murder Emma, and doesn't say that Neil Borland indicated this either. Perhaps some of the later sources make this link more explicit? Pinging @Cameron Dewe: (sorry if you've already been notified) to make sure I'm not misrepresenting anything here. GnocchiFan (talk) 18:38, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@GnocchiFan and @ScotPolHist: From reading the article, but not all the sources, I don't think even the evidence presented to the Court could prove beyond reasonable doubt that the garotte was the murder weapon used by the defendant. However, while having a garotte around the neck was the state the body was found in, the evidence has to put the garotte into the hands of the murderer and around the victim's neck at the time the victim was murdered. Since this is denied in testimony and there are no other witnesses, the evidence is only circumstantial. While the victim is dead, it is a matter of opinion that the garotte was the murder weapon, and for that you need a witness to opine that it was the case; Wikipedia editors cannot jump to that conclusion because that is editorializing and/or original research. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 21:05, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
From a photographer/ agent/ publication? My experience suggests this process is fraught with difficulty. I'd strongly recommend taking advice from whoever uploaded and used the one at Sarah Everard (or one of the many other similar articles). But it's your call, obviously. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 14:37, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
While a photograph would be a "nice to have", having a map and an infobox, too, would also be helpful. Neither of the latter require permission. Other creative image solutions are a photo of the alleged crime scene or even the general locality near where the crime occurred. You do have options, such as visiting a place and taking a photo yourself. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 21:16, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I have tagged various Wikiprojects that an infobox or image/photo is needed. This doesn't need to be a photo of the victim, merely an image that represents the crime, as a picture is worth a thousand words, according to the saying. While a picture is not critical, I think an infobox with the vital details about the crime is. If an image is desired, a map of the area where the crime occurred should also be considered. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 00:24, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
She also would have been born at Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, not in Cardross where she grew up. There is nothing really in Cardross . ScotPolHist (talk) 13:32, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
any reason you say dates like "she was born 31 January 1978" rather than "she was born on the 31st of January." I don't know if it reads as well like that. ScotPolHist (talk) 15:15, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
the article looks good now, it encompasses everything necessary. The only thing to add in future will be if there is an inquiry and the results of that. ScotPolHist (talk) 12:14, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
he is so delusional I don't think he will ever admit he murdered Emma or that he is a serial sex offender. I don't think he is a serial killer, and I think he probably murdered Emma in some kind of sex gone wrong... but I will be very upset if he gets less time in the jail (although I think it will be reduced sadly) ScotPolHist (talk) 15:48, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, criminals who never admit their crimes seem to live in a kind of twilight world of perpetual denial. He seems to have taken a real delight in strangling women. No surprise that one eventually died. Martinevans123 (talk) 15:52, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It is so bizarre that he takes such a brazen attitude, his appearance on disclosure. He will probably get a right doing in the jail. I don't know if you saw him in court with the cane and all that nonsense. He's 51 not 71. ScotPolHist (talk) 15:57, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
ScotPolHist, many thanks, great work. I've added a fair use image, and I ran a script to check the references, only the Mirror and Standard came up amber, but I think in this context that's not problematic. Jimfbleak - talk to me?14:02, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
.svg){kind=small}
GnocchiFan (talk) 21:57, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
