One of the most mysterious and horrific stories of my tenure as editor marks its 10th anniversary this year.

It was in 2013 that four men were convicted of the abduction and murder of Lynda Spence, despite the fact that her body has never been found.

What was proven in the High Court trial was that the 27 year old financial 'wheeler dealer' spent her last days as a prisoner, tortured, in a flat in West Kilbride, and that the men from Glasgow, Kilbirnie, West Kilbride and Largs were responsible for her death.

Lynda Spence lived a short life of fantasy, making many thousands of pounds from scamming and conning people over bogus property deals. It was to be her undoing.

With astonishing powers of persuasion and swagger, she told gullible people that she was involved in high finance, including a fake development at Stansted Airport in London. She was only ever in high finance in her imagination.

However, the jury heard of her lavish spending with other people's invested cash. Flash apartments, high range cars and £150 bottles of champagne. She even faked money certificates, known as Danish 'bearer bonds,' and flew to New York to try to cash them in at US banks. She was sent packing, and was lucky not to be arrested in America.

Before too long two businessmen with whom she'd had dealings sent her threatening messages demanding their money back - but she had spent most of it. At one point, she was declared bankrupt.

One angry man, gangster Colin Coats, had Lynda abducted and taken hostage in a flat in Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride. While a search was going on for this 'missing woman', she was being tortured, fingers and toes cut off and burned, all ending in her death and further disappearance.

Astonishingly, Ms Spence had had 21 mobile phones under various aliases and when one of the phones was found in a bin in Kilbirnie it led to local man Philip Wade, an associate of Colin Coats.

Police investigations also resulted in the arrests of Paul Smith, of Largs, and David Parker, of West Kilbride, who had the village apartment.  They admitted assisting in her abduction and being told to look after her. They were described in court as "the babysitters".

Former police chief Alan Buchanan said in a recent TV documentary that the turning point in the case, which he called the worst murder in his career, was when Smith and Parker agreed to give evidence for the prosecution in exchange for lesser sentences.

Wade, who claimed that Lynda was "happy" to go to West Kilbride, was sentenced to 30 years for abduction and murder, while Coats who said, in the witness box, that he was only "looking after" her, was jailed for 33 years after the 11-week trial in 2013. 

Smith and Parker were handed 11-year sentences for their part in the grisly proceedings. Both will have been released by now.

Former Solicitor General Lesley Thomson, who prosecuted the men, said that because Lynda's body was never found "it leaves a scar in the soul".

Recently, a five months search took place in the forests of part of Argyll but nothing was found. However, Coats has now written, from his prison cell, to admit his guilt - and to say that he might be able to help locate the body. Ten years too late.

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Thought for the Week: There are times when you need to let go and just walk away (with apologies to Nicola Sturgeon)

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Someone, who should know better, exclaimed on the Largs People Facebook site that the opening of another charity shop was "exciting news".

He was referring to the fact that the Barnardo's charity has opened up the former amusement arcade, next to Costa Coffee, on the promenade.

Certainly exciting for Barnardo's, since thousands of daytrippers and holidaymakers will be able to access the store while traipsing alongside Largs Pier.

Okay, so no other commercial business took over the former arcade, which has lain empty for about four years, but is it any wonder when the town's business rates are so high? My understanding is that charities only pay 20 per cent of the standard business rate.

I had to laugh when I saw prominent notices on Barnardo's windows this week announcing "unpaid job opportunities".

Last time I looked the chief executive of the charity in Scotland was paid £106,000 a year.  A very charitable sum?

What is exciting news is that the spacious podiatry premises, Steps, which has been up for sale for four years at the corner of Boyd Street and Nelson Street is to open again - as a hair, beauty and tattoo salon.

Mind you, I don't know what the other six hair and beauty businesses within the same half-mile radius are going to feel about it.

And watch this space to see which big business takes over the closed M&Co store in Main Street...but, no, it won't be a supermarket according to this newspaper.