Liam Aitchison killed in frenzied attack

Teenager killed in frenzied attack 2/5/14

The discovery of Liam Aitchison’s bloodied body in a derelict house in Steinish two miles outside Stornoway sparked a large scale investigation involving 126 police officers, over 500 witnesses and more than 1,000 pieces of evidence.

The teenager had been stabbed him 20 times with his nose and jaw fractured by the force of blows.

The trial heard the 16-year-old was possibly dead before the vicious attack was even over in the early hours of November 23, 2011.

It was alleged Millar and Mackinnon repeatedly hit him on the head and body with a knife and bottle and repeatedly kicked and stamped on his head.

No murder weapon nor the killers’ blood-stained clothing ever found. Neither were there witnesses to the attack.

There was no DNA evidence, forensics or fingerprints at the scene which could show Stefan Millar was ever at the abandoned house.

Conflicting reports about the date of death due to the rate of decomposition of his body meant Liam could have been alive days after he was said to have been killed, thus Millar and Mackinnon couldn’t have been responsible, maintained the defence.

Stefan Millar was said to confess to the murder to a cell mate when remanded in custody after being charged with the crime the court heard.

But the defence insisted Millar only spoke about what the police said the allegations were while the cellmate was on valium and on a detox programme and exaggerated what he told.

Until this case there had not been a murder conviction in the Western Isles in living memory.

A high profile murder trial over the death of Mary Mackenzie, 80, of Brue, Lewis, in 1968 returned a not proven verdict for 21-year-old George Macleod.

A murder inquiry was launched in September 2006 when 55-year-old Murdo Macdonald died after being viciously attacked by a gang. Four men were charged with murder over his death. Three men were later imprisoned after pleading guilty to serious assault.