Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

World’s End murderer Angus Sinclair is firmly linked to five unsolved murders but a ­catalogue of failings means he will never be brought to justice without a confession.

Cold case detectives believe he is ­responsible for the 1970s murders of Anna Kenny, Agnes Cooney, Hilda McAuley, Helen Kane and Eddie Cotogno.

He is also linked to the murder of Frances Barker, although another man was convicted of the crime.

In Anna’s case, evidence was poorly stored, leaving no trace of DNA behind. In Helen’s case evidence was thrown away.

There is no trace at all of the evidence in the other cases.

Without it, adding to Sinclair’s convictions, which include those of the murders of Helen Scott and ­Christine Eadie, whom he met in the World’s End pub in Edinburgh in October 1977 , is impossible.

A probe into Anna’s death after a night out at a Glasgow pub were boosted when a box of ligatures that was missing turned up in a lab at the former ­Strathclyde Police.

But hopes of solving the case were ruined when the ligatures were found to have ­undergone so many ­temperature changes that they had badly decomposed.

Any DNA evidence was degraded and useless to scientists. A former police officer who worked on the murders said: “It’s unfortunate.

“All the physical evidence has been disposed of or not looked after and is completely useless to the cold case officers nowadays.

“We’re talking about 37 years ago, when DNA was ­gobbledygook from Star Trek and not something considered in policing back then.

“Some of the forensic scientists would have preserved the evidence as best as they could but there was a big move to a new HQ and lots of boxes were lost or thrown out.

“We thought there was a ­breakthrough in the Anna Kenny case but the ligatures were exposed to wet, damp, heat, cold and were completely degraded.

“It was impossible to get any kind of DNA profile. Without the physical evidence and DNA, those murders will never be prosecuted.”

In Helen Kane’s case, evidence was disposed of by investigators in the years following her death.

The mother-of-four’s body was found partially clothed in an ­Edinburgh construction site at the base of Arthur’s Seat in 1970.

Police believe she was ­intercepted on her way home from a night out before possibly being sexually assaulted. She died from head ­injuries caused by a rock being smashed into her skull.

As DNA science had not yet been developed, no skin or semen samples were taken and her clothes were eventually thrown away as the investigation grew cold.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Former detective superintendent Alan Jones, who suspects Sinclair was involved in her death, said the chances of getting a conviction for Helen’s family are now slim.

He said: “Certain items were ­recovered at the scene – Helen Kane’s clothing was there as well. They were stored securely but because it was a different time back then, there was a disposal issue.

“The records aren’t great but they’re no longer there. There are only very few items of evidence that are still retained but the majority, in terms of the clothing, is no longer there.

“It probably parallels what was going on in Glasgow at the time.

“There wasn’t the same amount of care taken to a lot of the cases we believe are linked to Sinclair. Some of them have suffered because of that.”

Sinclair was living near housewife Helen on Hill Street at the time of the murder – and was quizzed by police.

Jones added: “We would need evidence for a conviction. However, he’s a proven liar and is very violent.

“There were no ligatures involved, To me, that was the only difference.

“It may have been different because he hadn’t done it in a long time – he had just been released from jail for the murder of his first victim.

“He was questioned by police at the time but he was given an alibi by his former wife Sarah.

“This has come into question over time as well, however, as she ­struggles to remember giving it.”

An inquiry into Helen’s murder was launched as part of Operation Trinity in 2004. A case was presented to the procurator fiscal but it was decided that there was insufficient evidence.

Her family have waited 44 years for justice and Jones believes they may be left without answers.

He said: “The case will always be open. It’ll never ever be closed but it would probably need significant new evidence for it to be reconsidered again.

“There’s always hope but as time goes on the chances are getting slimmer and slimmer.”

Try your hand at our news quiz: