THE family of Peter Tobin victim Vicky Hamilton are locked in a bitter feud over her personal belongings.
Vicky’s father and sister are battling over who keeps the items of jewellery found when her body was discovered.
Michael Hamilton visited the Crown Office today (Tuesday) expecting to receive Vicky’s purse, rings, and other items in time for the Christmas holiday.
But he was told by a senior official that his estranged daughter, Sharon, had put in a rival bid for the items.
The two fell out over Vicky’s burial arrangements and unless they can reach a compromise, the case could end up in the courts.
Tobin abandoned his appeal against his sentence for murdering Vicky on October 18, leaving the way clear for personal possessions to be returned to the family.
The items include the purse 15-year-old Vicky was carrying when she disappeared in Bathgate, West Lothian, in 1991.
The purse was recovered shortly afterwards in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. Tobin ditched it in a bid to put detectives off the scent but modern DNA tests linked him to the purse and sealed his conviction.
There are two rings Vicky was wearing at the time she disappeared, and which were recovered from the property in Margate, Kent, where her body was eventually found two years ago.
One is a black onyx ring given to Vicky by her mother, Annette, who died never knowing what had happened to her daughter. A gold ring with a heart shape is also due to be returned. This was originally given to Annette, who passed it on to Vicky.
The items also include a bracelet, a letters and photographs that are believed to have been inside Vicky’s purse.
Michael, from Redding, near Falkirk, said: “Apart from a lock of her hair, these are the only things I have left of Vicky and I want them back.
“They are probably not worth anything but they have a lot of sentimental value.
“After waiting for months I was finally told to come to the Crown Office in Edinburgh. I turned up today and they told me Sharon wants everything but the purse.
“I’m devastated because I thought I was going to get the things back before Christmas so I could relax and start to move on with my life.”
He added: “They said Sharon has legal rights but I don’t understand that – I am her father and they should come to me.
“Sharon can have the onyx ring but not the gold one. Unless she accepts that we will have to go to a court to get it sorted out.”
Michael said the situation was particularly cruel because he was previously able to see the items.
He said: “The police came round with a large bag full of jewellery and other things shortly after her body was discovered. They put them all out for us and we were able to identify the ones that belonged to Vicky.”
Michael, who had a heart attack earlier in the year, said he had recently been put on new medication by his GP to help deal with high blood pressure.
“I am worried that all of this is making my health worse. My GP wants me to forget about it and move on but how can I?”
He is also furious with the Crown Office. “They have delayed and cancelled meetings since October and then they drag me into Edinburgh to tell me this. Why couldn’t they call or send someone out to see me? It’s disgusting.”
Sharon Brown could not be contacted today.
No-one was available for comment from the Crown Office.
