00:00:07
Woohoo!
00:00:11
Awesome.
00:00:12
[Music]
00:00:19
[Music]
00:00:29
When Sean found out he was going to be a
00:00:31
father, he was just over the moon.
00:00:35
Sean was at a point in his life where he
00:00:39
was doing really well. He had a a good
00:00:42
job.
00:00:44
We were very proud of who he was
00:00:46
becoming.
00:00:48
And it was really nice to see
00:00:52
>> Sean worked really hard. All the money
00:00:54
they got went to me and Oscar.
00:01:00
Sean wasn't supposed to be working that
00:01:01
Sunday. Was supposed to work the
00:01:03
Saturday, but he ended up asking for the
00:01:04
Saturday off.
00:01:08
On Sunday, October the 10th, 2021, I was
00:01:12
just watching TV and I got a phone call.
00:01:16
There was a commotion in the street, a
00:01:17
very large scale disturbance, screaming.
00:01:22
People looked out their windows and
00:01:23
there was a man on the ground.
00:01:28
>> Sean's girlfriend Chloe said, "She's
00:01:31
seen police." There was police all about
00:01:33
people running out houses. I was like,
00:01:35
"Right, I'm coming over."
00:01:37
>> The police came to the door and then
00:01:39
they went, "I'm sorry to tell you, but
00:01:41
Sean's died.
00:01:45
I fell to the floor crying, screaming,
00:01:48
felt sick, just total heart shattered.
00:01:54
What happened that night would chill the
00:01:56
community to the core. A murder in a
00:01:59
normally quiet town with the suspect
00:02:01
nowhere to be found.
00:02:03
>> John was just walking home minding his
00:02:05
business and he lost his life. That's
00:02:07
harrowing. It's terrible.
00:02:10
The police were struggling to find the
00:02:12
killer of Shan. This is a significant
00:02:15
challenge for police. Where do we start?
00:02:20
Knowing that the person who killed Shawn
00:02:22
was on the run was quite scary. This
00:02:25
killer was an outof control, chaotic,
00:02:28
frantic man who had consumed a huge
00:02:31
amount of alcohol, was incredibly angry
00:02:34
and looking to harm somebody.
00:02:39
To bury a child is just heart-wrenching.
00:02:42
I feel empty. I don't live the way I
00:02:45
used to. I'm just existing now. Would
00:02:49
never ever wish on anybody.
00:02:58
[Music]
00:03:16
This picture is Sean and his sister
00:03:18
Simone.
00:03:20
They were at his cousin's wedding. It
00:03:22
was a such a great day. The
00:03:24
videographers were following Shawn about
00:03:26
cuz he danced a lot and we've got a we
00:03:29
group of them in there dancing. So
00:03:32
that's him with his sister Samantha.
00:03:36
I met Sean's dad in 1993.
00:03:40
We had Sean's sister Simone and second
00:03:44
sister Samantha and then Sean was born
00:03:47
in 1998.
00:03:51
With having the two girls, we were
00:03:53
rooting for a boy and if it was a boy,
00:03:56
he was going to be named Shawn straight
00:03:57
away. So even before we found out,
00:04:00
cousins would touch my stomach and say,
00:04:02
"Baby Shawn all the time." and they just
00:04:05
rub at baby Sean.
00:04:07
>> I loved being the oldest, so having a
00:04:10
little brother was great.
00:04:13
Sean was definitely the wild one growing
00:04:15
up. Me and Sam were a lot calmer. We
00:04:19
like to like follow the rules, things
00:04:21
like that. When Sean was a toddler, he
00:04:24
gave his a false sense of security from
00:04:27
being a quiet baby to a toddler that
00:04:31
just as soon as he found his feet, he
00:04:34
was running. That was him.
00:04:37
One time, I think he jumped out the
00:04:38
window and he ran into the neighbor's
00:04:41
house and I remember knocking on the
00:04:42
door to to get him back in.
00:04:45
>> Sean always knew he was like the center
00:04:48
of attention and stood out.
00:04:51
He was definitely the funny one and
00:04:53
always getting up to something.
00:04:57
[Music]
00:05:04
When Sean was born, it was in Paisley
00:05:07
and we stayed in Paisley for a long
00:05:10
time.
00:05:12
Paisley was really bad for gangs and
00:05:17
there was loads of crime going on. So I
00:05:20
felt I had to like kind of move from
00:05:24
that area just for my children and for
00:05:27
Sha. It was because he was easily led
00:05:31
with older boys.
00:05:35
We moved to Stevenson when Shawn was
00:05:38
about seven. I would have been about 11,
00:05:40
just starting high school. We all made
00:05:43
friends quite quickly at school. Sean
00:05:45
ended up being parts of football teams
00:05:48
there. where he was in the school plays.
00:05:51
So yeah, he did settle in really nicely.
00:05:56
Sean loved his new life. He loved that
00:05:59
he had the beach next to him. He had
00:06:02
made friends and there was a skating
00:06:04
disco at night. He could go ice skating.
00:06:07
He loved the ice skating and the
00:06:09
swimming.
00:06:22
I went to the same high school as Sean.
00:06:24
He was a bit of a class clown. You
00:06:26
always seen him running the corridors,
00:06:27
so you just knew he had loads of
00:06:29
personality.
00:06:31
We started talking in March, but we
00:06:33
started get out on April 1, April Fool's
00:06:35
Day.
00:06:37
They invited me over to his dad's house
00:06:38
and I just stayed the night and then
00:06:40
that was it. I stayed for 2 weeks.
00:06:44
after that
00:06:46
and then we went over to Sean's mom's
00:06:48
house and lived there.
00:06:50
>> They were meant to stay for one night
00:06:52
and they never left.
00:06:54
>> They were both big personalities like
00:06:56
they used to wind each other up.
00:07:01
>> And I could see that's where Sean got
00:07:03
his personality from.
00:07:05
>> They were good for each other. They were
00:07:08
funny together. Like she was a quiet
00:07:10
one. He was a loud one. So it was like
00:07:12
ying and yang. He did change. He was in
00:07:16
the house more. Spent loads of time with
00:07:18
her. Went to shops for her. Done
00:07:20
everything that she needed. He would he
00:07:23
would do it. He was he was really good.
00:07:30
[Music]
00:07:35
Me and Sean moved in together in 2019.
00:07:38
We loved it. We were so excited. It
00:07:41
meant so much to us both cuz we knew
00:07:43
that we wanted a family. We wanted to
00:07:45
get engaged.
00:07:46
>> Chloe had a feeling that she was
00:07:48
pregnant. So I bought the pregnancy test
00:07:52
kit and I took it to Chloe and I gave it
00:07:54
to her and it came positive. So I think
00:07:58
I was one of the first ones to find out.
00:08:01
[Music]
00:08:04
During Chloe's pregnancy, Sean was very
00:08:08
excited. He had numerous posts up about
00:08:10
it. Can't wait till my little ones here
00:08:13
and just saying how much he loved them
00:08:15
already.
00:08:17
I gave birth to Oscar on the 5th of July
00:08:20
2020. When Sean first met Oscar, he was
00:08:24
crying with joy. I just remember the
00:08:27
smile on his face. He was like, I can't
00:08:29
believe this. This is actually
00:08:30
happening.
00:08:32
He was nervous that she was burping.
00:08:35
Everybody was watching you. Sean was a
00:08:37
really good dad. Always cuddling. I
00:08:40
loved playing with him. Oscar was his
00:08:42
baby boy and and he spoke about him all
00:08:45
the time.
00:08:47
[Music]
00:08:53
>> It's just really sad that he didn't get
00:08:55
to see Oscar's personality cuz he was
00:08:58
still so young at the time.
00:09:01
>> The last time I actually spoke to Shawn
00:09:04
was the night before. I had had Oscar on
00:09:08
the Friday night. I took him home and
00:09:10
Sean, he didn't really say this a lot,
00:09:12
but he was like, "Thanks. Thanks, Mom.
00:09:15
Thanks for doing everything." And I had
00:09:18
stood there at the car like at the door
00:09:20
and I thought, "Should I go in and give
00:09:21
him a cuddle for that or not?" And I was
00:09:23
like, "I'll see him tomorrow." And I
00:09:25
just drove away and went home. And that
00:09:28
will always haunt me. I wish I'd went
00:09:30
back in and just gave him that hug.
00:09:34
[Music]
00:09:36
It was kind of like bittersweet moment
00:09:38
memory.
00:09:41
[Music]
00:09:53
Sean worked with my dad, so it was like
00:09:55
bathroom work, joinery, that kind of
00:09:58
thing.
00:10:00
>> It was just a normal day. It was quite a
00:10:02
cloudy kind of rainy day.
00:10:04
Sean would usually get home. Sometimes
00:10:07
it'd be 6:00, sometimes it'd be 7:00,
00:10:10
sometimes it'd be 8.
00:10:12
I put Oscar to bed like just a normal
00:10:16
night.
00:10:18
[Music]
00:10:23
I started clicking on that something was
00:10:25
wrong because we were all like in this
00:10:28
group chat
00:10:30
and then a message said who were they
00:10:34
two guys shouting at you. I tried to
00:10:36
phone Sean couldn't get through to him
00:10:38
so I phoned his friend John and I said
00:10:41
who was it you heard? and they went, "I
00:10:42
don't know." There was two guys shouting
00:10:44
and then the phone went down.
00:10:47
And then that's when the panic started
00:10:49
kicking in cuz he was just around the
00:10:51
corner like he should be home by now.
00:10:54
After that phone call, I was like, "I
00:10:55
better phone Debbie because I feel like
00:10:58
something's wrong." She was panicking.
00:11:00
You could hear the panic in her voice.
00:11:02
And so I was like, "Can you see anything
00:11:05
out there? Can you look out the window?"
00:11:07
So she looked out the window and she
00:11:08
said she seen police. There was blue
00:11:10
lights. There was police all about
00:11:12
people running out houses.
00:11:15
I was like, "Right, I'm coming over."
00:11:18
I just had a a newborn. So, I remember
00:11:21
lying in bed all cuddled up and then I
00:11:24
just remember sitting up and my watch
00:11:26
had showed me a message saying, "Answer
00:11:29
your phone. I need to talk to you."
00:11:32
So, when my mom called me, she told me
00:11:34
that she thinks something has happened
00:11:37
to Sean.
00:11:38
She said that he was on the phone to one
00:11:42
of his friends like on FaceTime and they
00:11:44
heard somebody shouting at him and then
00:11:46
his phone switched off. Nobody could
00:11:48
contact him. And there was something in
00:11:51
me in that moment that I knew, don't
00:11:54
know if it's a sibling bond, but there
00:11:56
was something in my body that told me
00:11:58
that he was gone.
00:12:07
When I seen them blue lights, I felt
00:12:10
sick. There was loads of things going
00:12:11
through my head.
00:12:15
I couldn't leave the house because Oscar
00:12:17
was in his bed sleeping. It was just
00:12:20
awful. I felt really trapped.
00:12:24
As soon as we got to the car park at the
00:12:27
scene, we got out straight away. I just
00:12:29
I approached my mom. There was tape at
00:12:32
the end of the street, police tape. My
00:12:34
mom was just anxious, like just waiting.
00:12:37
The detective came over and they asked
00:12:40
to speak to my mom and my stepdad. And
00:12:43
we just seen my mom's reaction and she
00:12:46
kind of just bursts into tears.
00:12:50
You could just see it in her face and
00:12:52
straight away we knew exactly what I was
00:12:54
telling them.
00:12:57
I was waiting roughly from about 9:00 to
00:13:02
12:00. My dad came in and he said to me,
00:13:05
"Chloe, this is something serious.
00:13:06
There's tape everywhere and it looks as
00:13:08
if they're starting to put like a tent
00:13:10
or something up." And that's when my
00:13:12
heart dropped. I was like, "It can't
00:13:14
be." And I just seen the police car
00:13:16
pulling up outside. And I went and
00:13:17
answered the door and they went, "Are
00:13:19
you Chloe?" And they went, "I'm sorry to
00:13:21
tell you, but Sean circum injuries."
00:13:26
I was in total disbelief.
00:13:29
After that, I was screaming in the
00:13:31
street
00:13:33
and I just remember all the neighbors
00:13:35
being at their window staring and all I
00:13:38
could scream like all I was screaming
00:13:40
about was you've took some away from his
00:13:43
boy.
00:13:44
You've took his dad away.
00:13:50
I couldn't look at Oscar because of the
00:13:52
guilt. I felt so guilty because he was
00:13:56
smiling at me and his dad's been taken
00:13:58
away from him.
00:14:01
After that, I left the house and I went
00:14:03
to stay with Debbie and I never went
00:14:04
back.
00:14:07
I remember just disbelief.
00:14:10
Can it be true? Just can it be him? I
00:14:12
think they've got the wrong person.
00:14:16
And the first person I found was my mom.
00:14:19
And she just screamed and she was like,
00:14:22
"No, no, no." I was like, "Mom, it's
00:14:25
true. He's he's he's been killed." Like,
00:14:28
um, somebody's killed my boy.
00:14:32
Those words are always going to haunt me
00:14:34
for the fact that my mom's had to phone
00:14:37
her mom and tell her something so awful
00:14:40
has happened.
00:14:46
[Music]
00:14:55
Dalai is a town in Airshshire. It's a
00:14:58
small town. It's a small community.
00:15:01
Everyone knows everyone in Dai. It is
00:15:04
unusual. In fact, in my memory, I don't
00:15:07
remember any other murders.
00:15:10
It's a place you don't expect something
00:15:12
like this to happen.
00:15:14
There's not a huge fear of crime.
00:15:18
>> In 2021, I was a senior reporter with
00:15:21
the Besa Daily Express newspaper.
00:15:23
That role required me to keep in contact
00:15:25
with police and media sources, cover
00:15:28
crime scenes, and be a voice for the
00:15:30
local community.
00:15:35
On Monday, I got up for work and headed
00:15:39
out to take my dog for a walk. A
00:15:40
colleague had contacted me asking if I
00:15:44
knew what was going on in Dai because
00:15:46
there was a large police presence in St.
00:15:48
Margaret's Avenue.
00:15:50
We were just headed in the direction
00:15:52
where I was met with multiple dozens of
00:15:56
police cars, plane close officers, C
00:15:59
officers, police tape blocking both ends
00:16:02
of the street on either direction.
00:16:06
I asked if there was any information
00:16:08
that they could provide at that time and
00:16:11
the police officer told me that there
00:16:13
was active inquiries and all would be
00:16:15
revealed throughout the police outlets
00:16:18
at the appropriate time.
00:16:20
The police were confused. They're trying
00:16:22
to find out what had happened and
00:16:25
rightly so. They can't reveal
00:16:28
information to try and find out why it
00:16:30
had happened. And they also need to
00:16:32
trace the killer.
00:16:40
[Music]
00:16:45
It was a big thing to cover a murder,
00:16:47
particularly one from a town where I
00:16:50
grew up in. It was very hard-hitting,
00:16:53
emotional, and you felt the ripple
00:16:55
effect throughout the community.
00:16:58
Social media had some rumors circulating
00:17:00
and they were stating that a young man
00:17:02
named Shawn had been murdered.
00:17:05
Police weren't forthcoming with any
00:17:08
names at the time. And that I think gave
00:17:11
speculation as to could there be another
00:17:12
murder? Why was Shawn murdered? Why
00:17:15
Shawn? The policeman came in and asked
00:17:19
us who would want to do that to him?
00:17:21
Things like that. I thought there's
00:17:23
nobody. There's no I can think cuz he
00:17:25
was so wellliked. I was just trying to
00:17:27
like go through my head who would just
00:17:30
kill him. Was there a fight? Did this
00:17:33
person try and rob him? I just could not
00:17:35
believe it. The detective had told my
00:17:38
mom that it was fatal because of a
00:17:42
stabbing. And I was trying to think who
00:17:45
had done it. I didn't really have an
00:17:48
idea cuz not like he was in trouble with
00:17:50
anyone.
00:17:53
>> It made me feel so scared. We could
00:17:57
potentially be walking by him in the
00:17:58
street if we go outside. I was just so
00:18:01
anxious.
00:18:12
On the Tuesday night, we went to visit
00:18:14
Sean in the hospital in Glasgow.
00:18:20
I was definitely scared of what I was
00:18:23
going to walk in and see, but I don't
00:18:25
think I would have forgiven myself if I
00:18:27
didn't get that chance to say bye to
00:18:29
him.
00:18:31
We had to go in in small groups. So, my
00:18:34
mom, my stepdad, and Chloe went in
00:18:37
together first.
00:18:40
And just seeing him there, it was just
00:18:43
it was just perfect just lying there.
00:18:50
And I just promised them there that I'll
00:18:52
always look after Oscar. I will always
00:18:54
be there
00:18:55
for Chloe as well. I will always be
00:18:57
there for them.
00:18:59
>> The first thing I did was I gave him a
00:19:00
cuddle.
00:19:03
And I just wanted to stay there and
00:19:05
smelling his hair. I loved the smell of
00:19:07
his hair. I never wanted to leave.
00:19:11
[Music]
00:19:13
I went in with my dad and my sister and
00:19:17
when I touched his hand, he was
00:19:19
freezing. So the whole time I spent like
00:19:21
trying to rub his hand, trying to kind
00:19:23
of warm it up a bit.
00:19:26
The way he was lying, it kind of looked
00:19:27
like a we smile on his face. I just was
00:19:30
waiting for him to sit up and say boo,
00:19:33
you know, cuz he always played jokes and
00:19:34
that's all I wanted him to do so that
00:19:38
everything could be fine.
00:19:41
Why not me?
00:19:44
Why my son?
00:19:46
Why take him away?
00:19:48
He was just living his life.
00:19:53
He was getting his driving lessons. He
00:19:55
was working. He was achieving things,
00:19:57
goals.
00:19:59
I could go. I've had my family, you
00:20:00
know, just take me. I would take his
00:20:03
place
00:20:05
in a heartbeat. I would take his place.
00:20:13
[Music]
00:20:15
On the 12th of October, police released
00:20:18
a statement stating that a 30-year-old
00:20:20
man had been arrested in connection with
00:20:22
Shan Mai's murder. It was big news. It
00:20:26
was a big story for journalists, but it
00:20:27
was a bigger story for the community of
00:20:29
Dai cuz someone had been arrested.
00:20:33
When Sean was killed, the police found a
00:20:35
person made a 999 call. And in that
00:20:38
call, this person said his friend had
00:20:40
killed someone, murdered someone.
00:20:43
>> During the 999 call, the caller was
00:20:45
trying to explain the circumstances of
00:20:47
the event. But the call handler
00:20:49
understandably wasn't interested in that
00:20:51
at that point because saving Sha's life
00:20:54
took precedence in that conversation.
00:20:57
It was only when the police went to take
00:20:59
a statement from that person that they
00:21:01
established that his friend was Gavin
00:21:04
McVey.
00:21:06
He implicated Gavin McVey is being the
00:21:09
killer. When they look at Gavin McVey,
00:21:12
it's someone that is not a pleasant
00:21:14
individual.
00:21:17
>> Gavin McVey. I'd never heard even Sean
00:21:19
mentioning that name.
00:21:22
>> The first thing I did was try and look
00:21:23
him up to see if I recognized the name.
00:21:26
But I didn't. Then I was asking people,
00:21:28
I was like, "Do you know who this is?"
00:21:30
And it was like, "No, no."
00:21:33
The following day, Gav McVy appeared in
00:21:36
Commander Sheriff Court and was reminded
00:21:38
in custody for the murder of Sean Mai.
00:21:41
I felt a relief that he was off the
00:21:43
streets. It was safer for other folk.
00:21:47
Somebody's going to get held responsible
00:21:49
for taking Sean. You know, maybe we'd
00:21:52
get answers of why.
00:21:55
[Music]
00:22:05
The police kept us up to date. Told us
00:22:07
that Gavin McVey was caught in a
00:22:09
different town. They' found a weapon and
00:22:11
they've got DNA on the weapon.
00:22:14
I had never heard of Gavin McVey and I
00:22:16
don't think many people actually did
00:22:18
apart from maybe people who sort of ran
00:22:19
in those circles with Gavin, but he was
00:22:22
not a well-known name at the time,
00:22:24
especially to myself who lived 5 minutes
00:22:27
away.
00:22:28
>> Gavin had previous convictions. These
00:22:31
were attempting to defeat the ends of
00:22:33
justice, which means perverting the
00:22:34
course of justice, assaulting a child,
00:22:37
and carrying a weapon.
00:22:40
>> He drank a lot of alcohol. He consumed
00:22:43
drugs.
00:22:44
>> This is someone that had a past, a
00:22:46
violent past. It was someone that was
00:22:48
not a pillar in society.
00:22:51
[Music]
00:22:55
On the 9th of October,
00:22:57
a man was stabbed three times in the
00:23:00
back.
00:23:02
And this man happened to be Gavin
00:23:04
McVeyy's friend's nephew. It's the
00:23:07
friend that made the 999 call.
00:23:11
>> Because of the incident, Gavin McVey and
00:23:14
this friend were drinking tonic wine in
00:23:18
excess.
00:23:19
They approached a friend's house and the
00:23:22
couple within. At first, I think were
00:23:25
perfectly fine with Gavin and his male
00:23:27
friend being there. Gavin and the male
00:23:29
property owner went to a local
00:23:31
convenience store to buy more tonic
00:23:33
wine. And whilst at the shop, an
00:23:36
incident took place there. Gavin was
00:23:39
verbally vile to the shopkeeper. Racial
00:23:42
comments were made and he threatened to
00:23:45
kill the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was
00:23:48
terrified, but he handled himself great
00:23:50
and just quickly asked Gavin to leave
00:23:53
and told him he was banned from the shop
00:23:54
for the rest of his life.
00:23:57
Gavin McVey was clearly emotionally
00:24:00
disregulated by the incident and he had
00:24:02
gone into this heightened state of anger
00:24:04
which when fueled by alcohol he was out
00:24:07
of control. So much so that even when
00:24:09
he'd gone to a couple's house who he was
00:24:11
friends with, he was incredibly
00:24:14
aggressive, incredibly angry, stabbing a
00:24:16
knife into the carpet, saying that he
00:24:18
wanted to kill somebody. He frightened
00:24:21
them so much so that when he left the
00:24:24
house, they actually called the police
00:24:27
themselves to report his behavior.
00:24:31
>> Gavin McB was aggressive. He was in
00:24:34
possession of a knife. He was insistent
00:24:37
he was going to kill someone.
00:24:40
Gavin's friend was full of alcohol and
00:24:44
wasn't telling him, "Gavin, put that
00:24:45
knife away or don't be so silly." And
00:24:48
when they left the property and were
00:24:50
down the street, he didn't take Gavin
00:24:53
away from Shawn.
00:24:57
Although we might say Shawn was in the
00:24:59
wrong place at the wrong time, he
00:25:01
wasn't. He was in the right place at the
00:25:03
right time. He was walking home from
00:25:05
work. This was his normal routine. And
00:25:08
then Gavin McVey was drunk, angry, and
00:25:13
unfortunately he saw Sha and he stabbed
00:25:17
him in the abdomen.
00:25:20
[Music]
00:25:22
Once Gavin stabbed him, I think the
00:25:24
friend thought, I need to help now.
00:25:29
Whilst Gavin made off, Gavin's friend
00:25:32
stayed on the scene, called the
00:25:34
ambulance, and offered Sean CPR until
00:25:37
police arrived and at least tried to
00:25:39
save the life that Gavin had taken. He
00:25:42
didn't have to, but he stayed there and
00:25:45
tried.
00:25:47
>> That is horrendous. Absolutely
00:25:49
horrendous. An innocent individual's
00:25:51
life taken away for no reason at all. A
00:25:54
totally unprovoked attack by someone
00:25:57
determined to kill another person. It
00:26:00
was almost instant death for this poor
00:26:02
individual.
00:26:10
We went to where Sean was murdered and
00:26:13
we lay lots of flowers. We went quite
00:26:15
late so that we didn't have to see
00:26:18
anybody and a car pulled up and a young
00:26:22
woman got out the car and asked if we
00:26:24
were with the family.
00:26:26
She was crying
00:26:28
telling us that she was with Sean and
00:26:32
her and a few other people in the
00:26:34
community had done everything that they
00:26:36
could to try and help him.
00:26:40
She was lovely. She answered any
00:26:41
questions we had. But yeah, she said
00:26:43
that he wasn't alone and there was lots
00:26:46
of them there, but she was just so sorry
00:26:49
that she couldn't save him. It is really
00:26:52
nice knowing that nobody just left them
00:26:54
in the street on his own.
00:26:58
[Music]
00:27:11
The police spoke to everybody at the
00:27:13
scene. They took statements. Clothing
00:27:16
was taken for DNA evidence. They'd gone
00:27:19
knocking on doors to see if anybody had
00:27:21
seen or heard anything to really try and
00:27:24
build up a picture of what had happened
00:27:26
and what had led to these tragic events.
00:27:30
>> Technically is a manhunt. So they're
00:27:32
looking for him and they're using
00:27:33
everything CCTV.
00:27:36
Okay, there was no CCTV where the actual
00:27:38
incident happened, but they piece it
00:27:40
together looking at public space CCTV.
00:27:43
They will be looking at all his
00:27:44
background, all his associates, visiting
00:27:46
associates, attending at houses where he
00:27:49
was known to frequent. They have to
00:27:50
trace this person because it's a
00:27:52
dangerous individual that has killed one
00:27:54
person. Would he kill again?
00:28:00
[Music]
00:28:07
After Gavin brutally murdered Shawn Mai,
00:28:10
he quickly fled the scene and attempted
00:28:14
to remain undercover throughout the
00:28:17
night at his mother's property.
00:28:20
The following morning, he got on the bus
00:28:23
to Irvin Town Center.
00:28:25
The police managed to trace Gavin McVey
00:28:29
through the CCTV on the bus routes that
00:28:31
he took when leaving Delry
00:28:35
in the morning of the 12th of October.
00:28:37
His sister-in-law had seen him in Irvin
00:28:40
and then he had gone to another
00:28:41
relative's house and he was in an
00:28:43
erratic state. He was he he seemed okay
00:28:45
earlier on but he changed completely
00:28:47
when he went to his relatives house.
00:28:49
This was someone that was jittery. He
00:28:51
knew what he'd done and he probably by
00:28:53
that time realized that the police would
00:28:55
be looking for him.
00:28:56
>> He was agitated. He kept repeating over
00:28:59
and over that something bad had
00:29:01
happened. His recollection of the event
00:29:03
is that he was standing next to a man
00:29:06
and one minute he was stood next to him
00:29:08
and the next minute the man was on the
00:29:10
floor and that man was Sean Mai.
00:29:14
>> Gavin was traced eventually to his
00:29:17
brother's house in air. That's it. is
00:29:19
arrested.
00:29:21
>> Meanwhile, there was a police officer
00:29:23
searching Gavin's mother's property and
00:29:25
garden
00:29:27
in the garden area. Police discovered a
00:29:30
tent with a large bloodstained knife
00:29:33
concealed behind a rucks sack.
00:29:36
>> When that knife is forensically
00:29:38
examined, that knife could be linked to
00:29:40
Gavin McVey because his DNA was on it.
00:29:44
You had Sean's blood on the blade. So
00:29:47
what you have is you've got the murder
00:29:48
weapon. They also found fingerprints in
00:29:50
his mom's house. So all this is piecing
00:29:53
him, piecing it together and linking him
00:29:55
to the house.
00:29:58
And that is unbelievable forensic
00:30:02
evidence. But it doesn't stop there.
00:30:04
You've got the person that was a killer
00:30:07
that he knew he's going to plead not
00:30:09
guilty to at court. And you need to
00:30:11
prove beyond reasonable doubt for the
00:30:13
victim's family, Sean's family, because
00:30:16
the victim's got no voice. You owe it to
00:30:18
the family.
00:30:35
[Music]
00:30:42
It was the worst day of my life when we
00:30:45
had to bury him.
00:30:47
But I just wanted everything to be so
00:30:49
beautiful for my baby brother. That's
00:30:52
what I always say. I remember when the
00:30:55
cows had came, just seeing like his
00:30:57
coffin and seeing the flowers and stuff
00:31:00
that was there. It was just surreal. We
00:31:03
had bag pipes and they piped us out of
00:31:06
the street and then just being in that
00:31:09
car like knowing that that was his last
00:31:11
ever journey. It was heartbreaking.
00:31:16
It felt like a dream.
00:31:18
I remember people speaking to me and it
00:31:20
was just going straight past me. I
00:31:23
couldn't take anything in.
00:31:25
I had my dad sitting beside me holding
00:31:28
on to my hand and I had his sister at
00:31:30
the other side. And when they brought
00:31:33
the coffin down, I couldn't even look at
00:31:35
it.
00:31:36
I was devastated.
00:31:40
It's a day that I never wish upon
00:31:43
anybody. And especially being so young,
00:31:46
nothing can prepare you for when it's
00:31:49
your sibling who's only had 23 years of
00:31:52
his life. And 23 years would never have
00:31:57
been enough.
00:31:59
[Music]
00:32:08
The trial of Gavin McVey took place at
00:32:10
Paisley High Court on the 12th of June
00:32:12
2023 and lasted 2 weeks.
00:32:17
The trial itself was very busy. Sean's
00:32:20
family and friends all attended. There
00:32:23
must have been around 20 people there
00:32:25
supporting Shawn and Shawn's family each
00:32:28
day of the trial. I've never seen the
00:32:30
courtroom so packed. Never. From any
00:32:33
criminal case, I've never seen so many
00:32:35
people all supporting a victim.
00:32:38
It was terrifying because I didn't
00:32:40
really know what I was walking into. I
00:32:42
knew we were going to see him, but I was
00:32:43
so nervous of everything that was going
00:32:45
to happen. When Gav McVy first appeared,
00:32:48
he was brought up with handcuffs on.
00:32:52
He was vile from the get-go. He would
00:32:55
shake his head when the prosecutor was
00:32:57
speaking. He would make remarks. He
00:33:00
would tut. He was a vile, vile man. When
00:33:05
I first saw Gavin in court, I was just
00:33:08
like, there's that monster. I was angry.
00:33:11
I was frustrated. I was nervous. Quite
00:33:16
scared in a way that he was in the same
00:33:18
room as us.
00:33:19
My first feelings were like, "It's
00:33:21
disgusting." I looked at the back of his
00:33:23
head and was like, "Why? Why did you do
00:33:25
it?" I wish I could have say to him,
00:33:27
"Why? Just tell me why did you do that
00:33:29
to my son?" Gavin McVey denied the
00:33:33
murder from day one. And despite police
00:33:36
having all this evidence, he tried to
00:33:39
blame someone else for his terrible,
00:33:42
terrible acts of violence on that night.
00:33:45
The police had amassed a lot of
00:33:48
evidence, significant evidence. They had
00:33:51
CCTV evidence. They had the knife
00:33:53
recovered. They had forensic evidence to
00:33:55
link that to Shawn and to link it to
00:33:58
Gavin. They had statements. They had the
00:34:01
friend that had implicated him. So, you
00:34:03
had all this together. And that should
00:34:06
be sufficient to prove beyond reasonable
00:34:09
doubt.
00:34:16
[Music]
00:34:19
When the court was shown the knife,
00:34:22
people gasped.
00:34:24
I can't remember how long the blade was,
00:34:26
but it was a large knife that, you know,
00:34:29
it would do damage if it was to be used
00:34:32
in the way it was.
00:34:34
It was clear that that had been the
00:34:37
solely responsible weapon for murdering
00:34:39
Shawn.
00:34:40
>> Obviously, that was very emotional just
00:34:45
seeing what had hurt my brother.
00:34:48
>> It was frightening to see that that was
00:34:50
the weapon that had took Sean's life.
00:34:53
>> We found out that Shawn had been stabbed
00:34:56
through E's liver and T's heart.
00:35:00
We wouldn't have stood a chance.
00:35:04
Shawn died instantly and unfortunately
00:35:06
due to the stab wound where it
00:35:09
perforated the body. Even if this had
00:35:11
happened in a hospital, there wouldn't
00:35:13
have been anything that they would have
00:35:14
been able to do to save his life.
00:35:20
[Music]
00:35:28
Sean's family and friends conducted
00:35:29
themselves so well, but naturally
00:35:32
emotions overtook them at times. You
00:35:34
know, they would be crying, visibly
00:35:35
upset, and quite rightly so, they're
00:35:37
hearing the facts of how their loved one
00:35:39
was murdered.
00:35:41
I just wanted to give them a cuddle.
00:35:43
They deserve to be held and squeezed
00:35:45
tightly and loved.
00:35:49
We had heard the evidence of a text
00:35:51
message sent to someone where it had
00:35:54
just said, "I've just killed someone." I
00:35:57
don't think there was much more to the
00:36:00
text message, but just kind of blunt and
00:36:02
he's used the word killed. Just before
00:36:06
11:00 p.m. on the evening of the murder,
00:36:08
Gavin McVey messaged his friend saying,
00:36:11
"I've just killed some." And then he
00:36:13
used a derogatory word to describe Sha.
00:36:16
The fact that he's put it in a text
00:36:18
message shows complete lack of thought,
00:36:21
lack of respect, lack of regard at all.
00:36:24
And that's an admission of a very
00:36:26
serious crime via text message. For him,
00:36:30
it's just meaningless.
00:36:32
I sat to Gavin's right hand side, and I
00:36:36
think he must have looked at me a couple
00:36:38
of times throughout the trial, sort of
00:36:40
with a look of evil. He sniggered a
00:36:44
couple of times and would roll his eyes,
00:36:47
but fortunately the family weren't able
00:36:50
to see his face because I don't think
00:36:51
that they would have appreciated the
00:36:54
manner in which he was conducting
00:36:55
himself, particularly his facial
00:36:56
expressions.
00:36:59
Govern McVey didn't give any reason.
00:37:02
There was no reason why he could have
00:37:05
killed him. So he didn't even speak in
00:37:08
court.
00:37:10
Gavin lodged a special defense of
00:37:12
incrimination. He said in court that his
00:37:15
friend that had been with him was
00:37:17
responsible. Feel the hatred because his
00:37:19
nephew had been starved the day before.
00:37:21
But there was so much overwhelming
00:37:24
evidence against Gavin Mc. There was no
00:37:27
evidence against this other individual,
00:37:30
but he still stuck by that. He was
00:37:33
determined to use any means whatever to
00:37:35
get off with this.
00:37:37
It was very clear to the court that this
00:37:39
friend wasn't responsible for the
00:37:41
murder.
00:37:43
When the jury returned the guilty
00:37:45
verdict, he was still denying the murder
00:37:48
of Shaw Makai.
00:38:00
When the jury came back and said guilty,
00:38:04
it was brilliant.
00:38:06
And on the 23rd of June 2023, Gavin Wi
00:38:10
was convicted of the murder of Shan and
00:38:13
he was sentenced to 21 years
00:38:15
imprisonment for that murder and
00:38:18
attempting to defeat the ends of justice
00:38:20
and other associated crimes.
00:38:23
>> He was given 21 years, but I've lost my
00:38:25
partner. Oscar's lost his dad. It just
00:38:28
wasn't enough.
00:38:30
When the sentencing was passed, Sean's
00:38:33
family and friends in the public gallery
00:38:35
thanked the jury for finding Gavin McVey
00:38:38
guilty on all three charges. They
00:38:41
applauded the jury and said, "Thank
00:38:43
you." Gavin McVey, however, booed, swore
00:38:48
violently, and made a vile hand gesture
00:38:50
towards the public gallery. Gavin showed
00:38:53
us all the middle finger as he went back
00:38:56
downstairs after being found guilty. It
00:38:59
made us feel horrible, but it showed his
00:39:03
character.
00:39:04
>> There's no accountability, complete lack
00:39:07
of remorse for his behavior, and also a
00:39:09
lack of acknowledgement of the severity
00:39:11
of his actions. You know, it it seems
00:39:14
like it's all just a game to him. Coming
00:39:17
face to face with Sha's killer would
00:39:19
have been very difficult for the family,
00:39:21
especially to confront someone that has
00:39:24
so mindlessly taken something so
00:39:26
precious from your life without showing
00:39:29
any remorse for their actions.
00:39:38
[Music]
00:39:41
I'm generally not affected.
00:39:45
After this case,
00:39:48
it hit home. I was glad that the jury
00:39:51
had returned the guilty verdict on all
00:39:54
three charges for Sean's family. I think
00:39:56
I actually got a bit emotional within
00:39:58
the court writing my notes, but I
00:40:00
thought, well done. It was a great
00:40:02
result.
00:40:12
Happy birthday to you.
00:40:16
>> Happy birthday.
00:40:19
[Applause]
00:40:21
Happy birthday to you.
00:40:24
[Music]
00:40:25
[Applause]
00:40:29
Let's go.
00:40:32
[Music]
00:40:41
>> This was Oscar's first birthday party.
00:40:45
It's quite hard to look at obviously
00:40:46
because that was Oscar's only birthday
00:40:50
that Sean got to be part of. So yeah,
00:40:53
it's a very very special memory in that
00:40:55
one.
00:40:59
This video is just when you hear Oscar
00:41:02
laughing in it and him kissing Oscar,
00:41:04
it's just that shows you how close they
00:41:07
were, how much he loved his son and how
00:41:09
much his son was with him. They were
00:41:11
just great together.
00:41:14
Shai was a father, a son,
00:41:18
and a a friend of the community in
00:41:20
Dorai. Don't know why I'm getting
00:41:22
emotional. Um, he was a lovely boy. I
00:41:25
didn't know him, but I think he had a
00:41:27
heart of gold. He didn't deserve to die.
00:41:30
[Music]
00:41:44
I was always so proud of him. He should
00:41:47
be here. He should be with Chloe and
00:41:50
Oscar.
00:41:51
I miss him just so much.
00:41:56
I think I just miss his laugh, hearing
00:41:59
his voice. Um
00:42:01
just because he was he made everyone
00:42:03
laugh all the time.
00:42:07
>> He lit up every room that he went into.
00:42:09
He was loud. My mom had him on our phone
00:42:12
as Fogghorn Sean. He could make you
00:42:16
laugh. See, when you're upset or you're
00:42:18
down or any mood that you're in and you
00:42:20
need lifted, he could do that. It breaks
00:42:24
my heart every day to see Oscar without
00:42:26
his dad. You'll never get to know him
00:42:29
the way that I did.
00:42:32
>> So sorry, daddy.
00:42:34
>> Oscar asks a lot of questions about his
00:42:36
dad now. He's getting to that age. He
00:42:39
knows who he is. It does say that he
00:42:41
misses him and we try our best to tell
00:42:45
him stories and show him pictures and
00:42:47
videos.
00:42:49
Oscar is his dad's double, full of
00:42:53
energy. So, I think they would have got
00:42:55
on really well and it would have been
00:42:56
nice to see that relationship.
00:42:59
I've never moved on from it.
00:43:03
Even now, 4 years later, I still think
00:43:06
that there's nobody as good as him.
00:43:10
After Sean died, I found out he was
00:43:13
going to ask me to marry him. He'd spoke
00:43:15
about it with his closest friends.
00:43:19
I would have said yes, definitely.
00:43:23
[Music]
00:44:02
[Music]
