Lessons learned after young addict’s brutal murder must be revisited

These women, gripped by addiction, lived chaotic lives, fully exposed to the dangers as men travelled miles to take advantage, drawn by the allure of the girls’ vulnerability and suffering.

Organised crime ruled unchecked, exploiting every woman, every transaction, overseeing a world where rape, serious physical and sexual assault and abuse were commonplace – and often unreported by the victims who had no trust in or respect for a system that they felt had betrayed them.

This grim reality only surfaced with the brutal murder of Sheila Anderson, a young addict and sex worker, left crushed and abandoned in Gypsy Brae in April 1983.

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Sheila’s death forced the police to confront a hard truth: they were blind to the nightmare unfolding on their streets. Their outdated methods left Leith’s women vulnerable to unthinkable violence and, in turning a blind eye, they had allowed a shadowy underworld to flourish.

For years, young women were left to the mercy of traffickers, pimps, and vicious clients. Most were victims long before they ever walked these streets – groomed, exploited, and abandoned by a broken system that had failed them from the start.

When police finally saw them not as criminals but as victims of abuse and addiction, a radical change took place. Spearheaded by Chief Constable Sir William Sutherland, the police introduced a “zone of discretionary prosecution” in Leith, where women could operate with relative safety, protected by an unofficial covenant that promised safety for co-operation.

This discreet area, patrolled by a dedicated liaison officer, saw support from social services and outreach organisations which began to offer health and welfare resources. It was a compromise, fragile yet effective – a rare moment of empathy in a world otherwise set against them. But as Leith evolved, so did the city’s approach.

Forty years on, addiction and death grip Edinburgh again and still justice clings to outdated methods, prosecuting addicts and low-level offenders, ignoring the devastating cycle of abuse.

The lesson of Sheila Anderson’s murder remains painfully relevant: until we treat victims as just that, victims, then violence, addiction and abuse will continue to flourish.

Our Crown prosecutes based on just two criteria: is there enough evidence, and is prosecution in the public interest?

This process, free from police and political influence, recognised even in 1983 that prosecuting street workers – victims of pimping, addiction and abuse – served no public good at all. In fact it was simply part of the problem rather than any solution to it.

This pragmatic approach marked a turning point, treating these women as victims rather than criminals.

Or so it seemed. But sometimes lessons which are so obvious and profound can still slip through our fingers.

Today, drug addiction and overdose deaths continue to rise – a national disgrace. Prosecuting addicts, the victims of a global supply chain, only deepens the crisis. We must hold our prosecutors accountable and question outdated practices.

The continued enforcement and prosecution of outdated drug laws that have never served their stated purpose is patently not in the public interest at all. Just the very opposite, in fact.

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The unsolved murder of Sheila Anderson serves as a haunting, tragic and poignant reminder – we cannot afford to ignore the real lessons her tragic death left behind.

Simon McLean is a former Serious Crime and Drugs Squad officer. He is now a spokesman for LEAP UK and LEAP Scotland (Law Enforcement Action Partnership), and a podcaster alongside former Depute Chief Constable Tom Wood. Like Wood, he is a successful author. The Tragic Murder of Sheila Anderson features on their podcast, crimetimeinc.com/