KRISTOFER JOHNSTONE FROM DUMFRIESSHIRE SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND MURDER OF ALESHA MACPHAIL IN AIRDRIE AND BUTE

A convicted paedophile with a disturbing history of abusing children has revealed a shocking connection to the tragic case of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail, who was murdered in 2018. Kristofer Johnstone, now aged 33, who hails from Kelloholm in Dumfriesshire, has a dark past that spans over a decade of criminal activity involving young girls.

It has come to light that Johnstone, who began his cycle of abuse at the age of 12, targeted two young girls over a period of fifteen years. His heinous actions included sexual assaults that took place in various locations across Scotland, including Glasgow’s Knightswood, the nearby district of Maryhill, Paisley, and the Isle of Bute. His crimes persisted from his early teenage years through to adulthood, with the abuse occurring between his 12th birthday on February 28, 2003, and the year 2018.

In a disturbing twist, prior to his true nature being uncovered, a photograph surfaced online showing Johnstone holding a heart-shaped balloon in memory of Alesha MacPhail. This image was shared by him, seemingly as a tribute to the young girl who was abducted and murdered while visiting her grandparents and father on the Isle of Bute. Alesha, a resident of Airdrie, was tragically raped and killed by Aaron Campbell, a 16-year-old at the time, who was later convicted of her murder. Campbell was sentenced to at least 27 years in prison, a term later reduced to 24 on appeal, and is known to be extremely reclusive, rarely leaving his cell due to fears of attacks from fellow inmates.

Johnstone’s criminal case was brought before the High Court in Glasgow, where he was convicted of abusing children aged between five and eleven. The court heard evidence of his disturbing conduct, which included sexual assaults committed in various locations across Glasgow and the Isle of Bute. Judge Alasdair MacFadyen sentenced him to ten years in prison, emphasizing the severity and distress caused by his actions. The judge described the evidence as overwhelming, alarming, and deeply troubling, highlighting that Johnstone’s offences appeared driven by deviant sexual desires. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and was prohibited from making any contact with his victims.

In the same court proceedings, the case of Aaron Campbell was also referenced. Campbell, now 21 and residing on Bute, was convicted of the murder of Alesha MacPhail. His sentence was initially set at 27 years but was later reduced to 24 years on appeal. Campbell’s criminal history includes a disturbing pattern of behavior, including a warped pen pal relationship with a sex offender and a history of violence, including a brutal beating in his cell at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in 2022. Campbell’s case remains one of the most tragic and high-profile child crimes in recent Scottish history, highlighting the devastating impact of such heinous acts on victims and their families.