ESSEX: Dinah McNicol's Father Ian is furious at killer Tobin's appeal

By louise cooper louise.cooper@essexchronicle.co.uk

THE father of murdered schoolgirl Dinah McNicol has said her killer should hang for his horrific crimes.

Ian McNicol, 64, furiously spoke out as it emerged murderer Peter Tobin is appealing against his sentence for the slaughter of 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton, whose remains were found in the same Margate garden as Dinah's in 2007.

He said: "I am going up to Scotland to support Michael Hamilton, Vicky's father, and give him a bit of back-up when Tobin is in court.

"We have both been through it and I know when he came to Chelmsford it gave me strength that he was prepared to sit there in front of Tobin.

"I am going to look Tobin in the eye, I want him to see me."

Speaking of the legal loophole which has allowed Tobin to appeal, he added: "He is laughing at us. They should bring back hanging for people like that.

"People like him are scum. He says it is against his human rights. Well, if it were up to me he wouldn't have any. It costs £100,000 from taxpayers for him going to court. It is disgusting."

Tobin, who was convicted for Dinah's murder at Chelmsford Crown Court last December, was expected to appear at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

He was convicted in December 2008 of abducting and murdering Vicky Hamilton in February 1991 and ordered to serve at least 30 years – the longest minimum sentence for a sex crime in Scotland.

However, Tobin insists the judge's order – that he should not be eligible for parole until 2038 – is too harsh, despite serving a life sentence for the murder of Polish student Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006.

Meanwhile, police have ended their nine-day dig of the garden and basement of Tobin's former Brighton home, satisfied no bodies are buried there. They are continuing a search of a second house as part of Operation Anagram – established to identify other potential Tobin victims.

Tobin lived in Brighton in the 80s.

Mr McNicol said: "I feel for the families who are grieving and unable to bury their loved ones. It helped me to know she was at peace. I fully support the investigation."