WE RECEIVED this deeply moving letter from the mother and a close friend of a Swedish woman whose body was found on Prestwick beach 10 years ago, as they continue their attempts to persuade Scottish authorities to reopen the case.
In the first few days after a dog walker discovered Annie Borjesson’s body in December 2005, police concluded that she had drowned herself in the sea – an assumption that her family and friends have never believed.
Independent reports over the years have also challenged the assumption of suicide, and lawyer Aamer Anwar has told The National it appeared to have been “a very swift and easy conclusion”.
He said: “At first instance there appear to be glaring inconsistencies in the various autopsies carried out into the cause of death.
“At the very least the Lord Advocate should review the papers and consider any new evidence rather than relying on what appears to have been a very swift and easy conclusion reached by Strathclyde Police a decade ago.”
Maria Jansson, a close friend of the dead woman has taken a leading role in the campaign to reopen the case.
In tracing Annie’s movements the day before she was found, police based their findings on a local man’s sighting at approximately 4.30pm on December 3, and photographs obtained just before that in the town of Prestwick.
Having viewed the pictures first hand, it is very difficult to identify anyone resembling Annie with any certainty due to their blurriness.
We also heard a statement given by the eye witness to Annie’s family, in which the dog walker said he could not be sure if it was a man or woman he saw standing at the water’s edge.
However, the Crown Office have insisted that there has been no fresh evidence.
A spokesperson said: “The death of Annie Borjesson was thoroughly investigated by Strathclyde Police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, who gave detailed consideration to all the facts and circumstances of the case and concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances.”
DEAR Greg and Stefan,
First of all we want you to know that we are all so very grateful for the strong and good article, and for getting in contact with the lawyer Mr Aamer Anwar. There are no words that could express what we feel and to visualise the hope that we have been graced with. I do believe that we are still in shock, however in a positive way, from reading your article. It is the same with the family and everyone else that has followed our struggle with trying to find the truth, trying to point out the things that we strongly believe surely should be enough for the many different authorities in Scotland to at least consider having a new and fresh look at Annie’s mysterious death.
We are so very very grateful, and even if we are exhausted and even more drained than ever, we will do everything to continue with sending all the relevant documents to you so that you are able to share them with Mr Aamer Anwar. We all feel that it is of greatest importance that you will receive everything that we have so that nothing is forgotten and everything that we have will be presented to Mr Anwar.
To be graced with help from people like yourselves ... is to us all the greatest gift our Annie can receive. These past 10 years have been an inhumanely long time, but we also know that we have to try and be strong for Annie, for the truth is out there to be found.
Mr Kenneth Roy who helped us to put together our information in the dossier that he presented to the Scottish police ... Mr Roy and his colleague also made some tests, one with walking in Annie’s footprints at Prestwick Airport, and they both also stated that something was wrong with Annie’s movements and the time that was recorded.
They later told us that they had made one more important observation, namely that it would have been impossible that a person that would have been out on the beach at low tide, could have been identified, not even if a witness had come forward stating that he or she had seen a person fitting Annie’s description.
The witness that had come forward had told the police that he had observed a person standing on the shore about 150 metres out from the esplanade wall, looking at the sea – wearing a white or beige coat reaching half thigh – and that a dark dog was running loose in the nearby area and that other persons were out on the Prestwick Beach area at the same time.
The witness told us, when we were graced with an unexpected meeting with the witness, that the person was standing there for a long time, during his entire walk along the esplanade, and that it was something the matter with this person that caught his eye.
It was on this witness statement that the Scottish police based their statement/conclusion (assumption) that they then knew how Annie came to the shore and they told the Scottish authorities involved to state this to the Swedish authorities. A witness observation was made – someone fitting Annie’s description was seen on the shore. And that is the explanation as to why the police refused/refuse to investigate those 16 hours Annie was missing from last being seen on the CCTV pictures/movies from Prestwick Airport until found dead the morning after. A lot can happen during 16 hours, and you are able to travel very far during 16 hours
Annie was wearing her dark green shimmering goose feather jacket bought for her before she went back to Scotland the last time.
She had dark blue jeans, a red and white fleece jacket underneath her jacket (this has never been found) and she had a red sports T-shirt top (a polo shirt). The area where Annie was found was pitch dark at the time, this because the locals have told us that the street lamps were all broken at that very corner of the esplanade.
We are truly grateful and from the depth of our hearts we would like to say a huge thank you from all of us, to the both of you, and I hope that you will express our deepest gratitude to Mr Aamer Anwar. With this, his loving and caring action when taking an interest in Annie and our 10 years of hard work, hopefully something positive will arise and hopefully enough pressure will be put on the many different authorities involved.
We are so very grateful, and a little fragile glimmer of hope shines upon us all from the Scottish horizon.
Warmest greetings from us all, to you all,
Maria and Guje
Annie Börjesson’s family deserve answers to the mystery of of her death
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