My friend Zoe Nelson, 17, was killed & set on fire by 'cocky' sicko who also dated her sister & showed her the dead body

WHEN Laura Anne Nelson argued with her older sister Zoe over a boy they were both seeing, she didn't expect it to be their last interaction.

Later that day, 16-year-old Laura met Robert Bayne, 21, who led her into the woods near Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, and showed her Zoe's burnt corpse promising she'd "be next" if she said anything.

The 2010 murder of Zoe, 17, shocked the tight knit Scottish community and killer Bayne, who was a body builder, even named someone else as the murderer.

Crime and Investigation's Murdertown, fronted by Anita Rani, looks back over the case which saw Zoe's body unidentified for three days after the killing.

The teen's body was so badly burnt that cops were unable to tell if she was male or female.

Zoe had been stabbed, suffocated and had a plastic bag placed over her face.

Laura Anne recognised her sister from a tattoo when Bayne showed her the body the day after she'd been killed – but the teen was too scared to say anything for five days.

Retired Assistant Chief Constable Derek Robertson, who led the investigation, said: "On the Sunday morning – the day after – she went down to return clothing to him and she said he was dishevelled and he was all dirty and sooty and dusty and smoky.

"He was drunk still and he took her to the murder scene and pointed her out… And she recognised her from a tattoo. [He said] 'And if you say anything, that’ll be you.'

Shockingly as police prepared to arrest Bayne for the crime, he showed up to accuse someone else of Zoe's murder.

In the hours leading up to the murder, he had been drinking with Zoe behind Asda.

Bayne, who had a tribal tattoo on the right half of his face, was said to be a jealous control freak.

He was allegedly obsessed with keeping clean and would shower three times a day as well as frequently changing his clothes.

Zoe had opted for a bottle of vodka and he chose a tequila with a red sombrero – which was later found by her burnt remains.

Family row

Before she met with Bayne, she had argued with her sister over him and had been told to 'leave' by her mum.

She was not reported missing for three days, as her family said it was not unusual for her to stay away from home following a disagreement.

Tragically, the reason for her not returning home was far more sinister.

On the night of the murder, Bayne was overheard threatening to kill someone and seen punching Zoe.

When he was charged with the sickening attack, her friends Gemma Finne and Jade Sim were devastated.

Gemma said: " Zoe was a massive character. If you didn’t know her, you knew of her.

"She was some character. She’d be singing, she’d be dancing. She was always willing to give the shirt off her back; she was willing to help anybody, so all in all she’s just a massive, massive part in everybody’s life."

Gemma's home overlooks Monkey Hill woodland. She had seen smoke coming from there, not realising that it wasfrom her best friend's body.

Hunt for killer

She said: "I was devastated to find that it was Zoe. I couldn’t believe that someone could do that to a person. Especially a person like Zoe.

"It was dread to think that he was even—he was even out; that they hadn’t caught him."

Throughout the trial at Edinburgh High Court, cocky Bayne acted as if he would walk free.

During the trail, Laura Anne gave evidence behind a screen so she didn't have to see her sister's killer.

Police now knew that Bayne was prone to bouts of schizophrenia and opted to reinforce security on the day of the verdict.

Former Asst. Chief Constable Derek said: "The Judge Lady Dorrian found him guilty and he went berserk. And he leapt up immediately, shouting and swearing.

Violent schizophrenic

"The court officers who are immediately sitting next to him each side are trying to restrain him and one gets headbutted. And at that he’s trying to get out, he’s trying to climb out the dock.

"Court officers physically have to put him down and restrain him and cuff him. And he was led downstairs in cuffs and that’s the mentality of the guy, violence.

"Again it just shows his character and what he was like."

Bayne was handed a life sentence, with a minimum on 20 years without parole, for the murder and another six for attempting to conceal it.

But for Zoe's friends, the sentence will never be enough.

Gemma said: "I couldn’t even look at him. I felt physically sick. But I was so happy that finally he was—he was gonna be behind bars and he can’t do it to anybody else.

"He should have got way more than that, to be honest with you. I think they should have brought the death penalty back just for him, I really do.I really do."

No justice

While the sentencing gave Jade a sense of relief, she thinks it will never be justice for her friend.

She said: "How can justice be done when he will eventually walk free from prison? Life should mean life.

"He’s gonna live a life after this and we’ve lost the best person that anybody can ever have in their life."

Speaking of the impact of the murder on Zoe's family, former Asst. Chief Constable Derek said: "At the end of the day, your daughter’s been murdered and you live with that every day. And the reassurance that I caught the killer doesn't bring their daughter back.

"It just makes them feel maybe content in the knowledge he can't kill somebody else like he killed their daughter."

Murdertown is on tonight at 9pm on C&I

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