Family of Bible John victim welcome police investigation into new suspect

The great-granddaughter of Bible John victim Jemima MacDonald has welcomed the police investigation into a new suspect.

Sammy Mottley revealed that her family are hopeful detectives will uncover new evidence about former printer John Templeton, who was linked to one case through DNA.

Jemima, Patricia Docker and Helen Puttock all lost their life after spending the evening in Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom in the 60s, reports the Sunday Mail.

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Sammy, 31, was left stunned when she saw the picture of Templeton, named by author Jill Bavin-Mizzi as Helen’s possible killer, alongside the police drawing of Bible John.

She said: “The likeness is unreal. They look the same person. I’m blown away. It sent shivers down my spine.

“I hope the police are looking into this properly given that they have a name of a possible suspect.

“The families have been let down for the last 55 years, with the case being left unsolved and any new information like this should be treated seriously.

“I also hope for Jemima, Patricia and Helen’s sake that one day they can be finally be left to rest in peace as that’s what they truly deserve.”

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Police Scotland are now analysing the contents of the book called Bible John A New Suspect.

The 31-year-old care worker was first told about her great-gran’s murder at 16 and has followed the case ever since.

Jill traced Templeton after researching the ancestry of John McInnes, who was identified as a suspect in 1996.

The former soldier, from ­Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, took his own life in 1980. He had been ­interviewed shortly after Helen’s murder.

DNA since obtained from her clothing bore comparisons to samples provided by his siblings Jane and Hector.

But when McInnes’s body was exhumed, there was no conclusive match. This led Jill to question if the person who left the DNA may have some other connection to the McInnes family.

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An examination of the family tree led her to Templeton, who was ­questioned by detectives six months after Helen’s murder in 1969.

Helen was last seen by her sister Jean when they shared a taxi with the stranger.

Jean, who was dropped off in Yoker, told police he used the surname Templeton or Sempleson.

Templeton died in 2015, aged 70. Police Scotland said: “We have received a copy of the book and its contents will be assessed.”