Severed head found on Scottish beach

A WOMAN whose severed head was found by children playing on a beach was a migrant worker, police in Scotland said yesterday.

The 36-year-old lived in Brechin, Angus, and was reported missing by her employer. Her head and hands were discovered by two sisters on a beach in nearby Arbroath on Tuesday.

Possible further human remains were being examined by police in Dundee following a discovery by the Coastguard Service.

A flat in Earlsden House in Brechin’s Southesk Street was sealed off and searched by Tayside Police officers.

The building houses workers from across Eastern Europe.

Police said the woman, whose identity was established after hundreds of calls from the public, had been in Britain for 18 months. She was working as a casual labourer.

Police said a “phenomenal” response from the public led to her identification.

Her relatives are currently being traced by the authorities.

The head, wrapped in a plastic bag, was discovered by the two sisters, aged eight and 11, as they played on the beach on Tuesday morning. Police searching the shoreline then found the two hands.

An appeal for information led to hundreds of calls from members of the public.

Detective Chief iInspector Graham McMillan said: “We will be speaking to a number of people over the course of the day in a bid to establish the woman’s last known movements, when she was last seen, and to establish the circumstances of her death.

“Establishing the identity of this woman is the first step in a very complex and detailed inquiry,” said Det Chief Insp McMillan

The block of flats at Earlsden House was cordoned off at 7.30pm on Wednesday. Forensic officers were at the scene again yesterday.