Mark Cummings would now be a 29-year-old man. Tragically, he never reached 10 years old because his life was taken by paedophile Stuart Leggate, who lived in the same Glasgow high-rise building. Leggate lured the child to his flat, murdered him, and disposed of his body down the rubbish chute into the waste bin below.
When sentencing Leggate in October 2004, Judge Lord Dawson described him as "highly dangerous." Though Leggate received a life sentence, the judge recommended a minimum of 20 years in prison, accounting for his guilty plea.
Leggate had previously been released in September 1999 after completing a sentence for assaulting boys aged three to ten.
He is now eligible for parole consideration. Crime Time Inc interviewed Martin Lupton, the photographer who captured the iconic image of Leggate featured in our reporting.
The podcast poses a difficult question to listeners: Should Leggate be released?
One perspective argues that long-term prisoners deserve hope and the opportunity for rehabilitation. The opposing viewpoint — which I endorse — contends that "if someone poses even the slightest risk to our children, we owe it to them to keep them safe."
I ask myself whether I would accept Leggate being resettled near my grandchildren. The answer is no. No parent should accept such risk in their community.