An indie band guitarist this morning admitted murdering a teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod after kidnapping her from a Plymouth bus stop four minutes from her home last year. Student Bobbi-Anne’s devastated family sobbed as musician Cody Ackland, 24, told the city’s crown court he killed the 18-year-old before dumping her body near the beach at Bovisand on November 23 last year. Ackland snatched her off the street after she left her house in Leigham at about 6pm on November 20 last year to head into Plymouth.
Bobbi-Anne’s disappearance sparked a huge search by her family including her boyfriend Louie Leach, 17, and mother Donna McLeod. But when her headphones, tobacco, and mobile phone were found they knew something terrible had happened. Bobbi-Anne’s body was found in a wooded area off a lane between Fort Staddon and Bovisand, South Hams in Devon, after Devon and Cornwall Police received a tip-off.
Despite extensive work by the coroner it is still not known how she was killed. Today her family and friends’ were left heartbroken as Ackland confessed to deliberately killing her in the attack, pleading guilty to the single count of murder. Judge Robert Linford told Ackland: ‘You have pleaded guilty to murder and the sentence us fixed by law. ‘The sentence is imprisonment for life and the only issue will be the mimimum term I will impose.’ Police believed she had been abducted but the prosecution said it would not seek a trial on a charge of kidnap due to the guilty plea to murder. Bobbi-Anne’s parents and other family members sat next to police officers just a few feet from the enclosed glass-fronted dock where Ackland sat surrounded by security staff. The killer had previously been in a band called Rakuda – named after a bar in the city – who disbanded after he was charged. Ackland and his fellow bandmates, who had described their influences as Kasabian and Oasis, had built up a cult following. They had released a number of songs on Spotify with titles such as: ‘I want to enter your soul; Atomic Woman;’ and ‘Where do I go?’ as well as an EP played on local BBC radio. Separately Josh Greenless, lead singer of Rakuda also told MailOnline in November: ‘The first I heard about this was when police started searching Cody’s house. ‘He’s a big part of our band and it’s all a bit shocking.’ Rakuda announced it was disbanding last year, writing on Facebook: ‘The remaining members of Rakuda; Josh, Ross, Josh and Mike are all extremely shocked and in complete disbelief by the tragic event that has unfolded over the last several days. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family and friends who must be devastated at their loss. ‘As a mark of respect, we have decided that we shall not be going forward as a band and will be disbanding with immediate effect. We will not be making any further comments at this time.’ They said in November: ‘Louie is with Bobbi-Anne’s family now and they are helping each other through this difficult time. ‘They can barely speak. There are no words for the horror they are living through. ‘Bobbi-Anne and Louie were really in love and were a wonderful couple.’They had their whole lives ahead of them and now this has been cruelly taken away from Louie and it’s crushed him.’ The post Update: Indie band guitarist, 24, admits murdering 18-year old teenager after she vanished from a bus stop in Plymouth last year appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
