Home UK Man arrested on suspicion of murdering six-year-old Alesha MacPhail

Man arrested on suspicion of murdering six-year-old Alesha MacPhail

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Police Scotland have arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail on the Isle of Bute.

Alesha was reported missing from her grandmothers home in Rothesay at 6.25am on Monday.

She had only been in the area for a few days, as she was visiting for a three-week holiday.

Man arrested on suspicion of murdering six-year-old Alesha MacPhail

Alesha MacPhail was found dead after she went missing on Monday

Her body was found in woodland on the site of a former hotel in Ardbeg Road by a member of the public around two-and-a-half hours later.

Police confirmed they had launched a murder investigation into the schoolgirls death on Tuesday following the results of a post-mortem examination.

Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston of Police Scotland said: Despite this evenings major development, I am still appealing for anyone who was in the Ardbeg Road area of Bute on Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday and who may have information about Aleshas death to contact us.

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Anyone who has CCTV at their home or business, or indeed any motorists with dashcam footage which might help with our investigation, are also urged to get in touch.

Police released no details about the man arrested.

ROTHESAY, ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND - JULY 04: A policeman lay flowers for a member of the public at a house on Ardbeg Road on the Isle of Bute following the conformation that six year old schoolgirl Alesha MacPhail was murdered on July 4, 2018 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland.The case has become a murder inquiry yesterday evening following the post-mortem examination on the six year old, police have yet to confirm how she died. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A policeman lay flowers for a member of the public at a house on Ardbeg Road on the Isle of Bute following the conformation that six year old schoolgirl Alesha MacPhail was murdered (Picture: Getty)

Earlier, islanders spoke of their shock at the murder.

Reverend Owain Jones has opened his United Church of Bute in Rothesay to allow people to visit at any time.

He said: Were all absolutely staggered, we have no words for this and its beyond any power of words to express.

Were all just really sitting in a kind of shared stunned silence just trying to uphold each other.

Bute is one of these places that is incredibly safe, you take all sorts of things for granted here and dont panic if you forget to lock the house or whatever.

Its not a remote island in the classic sense – its only 90 minutes to Glasgow – but even so it is an island and we all know each other at least by sight, and its an extremely safe place and there is no context for this.

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