Calls for Crown Office to re-examine 2005 death of young Swedish woman

Ann Borjesson, 30, was found dead in December, 2005.

Police concluded in the first few days that she had drowned herself – which solicitor Aamer Anwar said was “a very swift and easy conclusion”.

Ms Borjesson’s family did not accept that conclusion and a number of reports produced since her death challenge the assumption she killed herself in a case that has never been officially discontinued.

But the Crown Office has said there is no new evidence that merits re-opening the case.

Speaking to The National, Mr Anwar (pictured) said: “One cannot even begin to imagine the pain of Annie’s family. At first instance there appear to be glaring inconsistencies in the various autopsies carried out into the cause of death. Her family are entitled to closure but the only way that will ever be possible, is if they know the truth.

“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 friend of Ms Borjesson, has been involved in a campaign to re-open the case.

She said: “Ten years is an inhumanely long time to not know what happened, but we know that there are other families that have fought for an even longer time to find the truth about what happened to their loved ones.”

“We would never ever have put ourselves through what we have over these past years, and started our own investigations if we did not strongly believe that something terrible happened to our Annie.

“Right now we have very little strength left and we feel that we must focus on the hard and dark period that is ahead of us.

“We have not been able to properly grieve. Our lives have changed totally after she was found dead. It was so sudden, unexplained and with so many strange things surrounding her death in suspicious circumstances.”

Ms Borjesson’s mother, Guje, 62, has attempted investigations of her own and led marches and vigils but is now seriously ill.

The young Swede had been living in Edinburgh for a year when she died. It is not known why she was in Prestwick.

Autopsy reports in Scotland and Sweden came to different conclusions about bruising on her body, with pathologists in Ayr claiming they were a result of post mortem lividity – something Swedish doctors disagreed with.

However, the Crown Office dismissed alternative explanations of Ms Borjesson’s death.

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.

“Any new, credible and reliable evidence which comes to light will be considered.”

But the author of reports into the death, Kenneth Roy, said he has put new evidence to the Crown Office – which they refused to examine.

He said: “I often wondered what the police and the Crown Office had to lose by taking a fresh look at the evidence, but lately I have begun to wonder what they have to hide.

“I approached the case with an open mind. Now, with the passage of time, I have come to suspect that Annie Borjesson was murdered.”