Aaron Campbell was "cold, callous and dangerous".

The teenager has been sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 27 years for murdering the six-year-old on the Isle of the Bute.

Armed with a knife, Campbell snatched Alesha out of her bed before carrying her to the former Kyles Hydropathic Hotel on the island where he raped and murdered her on July 2 last year.

The 16-year-old left Alesha's family "broken".

Here's how the full story unfolded, concluding in today's sentencing of the "evil beast".

Alesha MacPhail's heartbroken mum refused to believe her daughter was dead until she saw the schoolgirl's body.

Georgina Lochrane, 24, only discovered Alesha was missing after logging onto Facebook at her home in Airdrie on the morning of the murder.

At first she thought the post was a joke, but it quickly turned to panic when people started writing comments saying they were sorry for her loss.

Ms Lochrane hoped it wasn't her daughter right up to the moment she saw the youngster through a TV screen.

She said she could sense the pain and fear Alesha had suffered, but had to wait several days before she could hold her daughter in her arms.

Following the post-mortem, Ms Lochrane was then given the shattering news that Alesha had been raped and murdered.

Ms Lochrane had to ask what was going on, stating: "Someone tell me what's happened, that's my daughter."

After Alesha's body was found within the grounds of the former Kyles Hydropathic Hotel, she was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow to be formally identified.

Police informed Ms Lochrane that the body of a child matching Alesha's description had been found on Bute, but the young mum was adamant there had been a mistake.

Ms Lochrane still has questions that need answered and hopes to one day have a face-to-face with Campbell to find out why he killed Alesha.

Following the conclusion of the case, she intends to keep her daughter's memory alive by carrying out charity work in Alesha's name.

She has now joined charity Families and Friends Against Murder & Suicide (FAMS) in their work supporting victims of crime.

Aaron Campbell was "addicted" to gaming and wanted to be a YouTube star.

His YouTube channel was taken down following his conviction, with several clips including one of Campbell playing Slender being removed.

The video game is based on a fictional figure known as the Slender Man, who is known for the ominous abduction of countless children.

Other videos removed included the killer practising parkour in the woods and playing on a trampoline.

The 16-year-old had ambitions of studying engineering at university.

Campbell's mother said she was aware her son smoked cannabis and said she had previously asked Toni McLachlan to "please stop selling drugs to my children".

Ms McLachlan admitted in court, along with her boyfriend, Robert MacPhail, Alesha's father, to supplying the teenager with drugs.

Campbell's friends on Bute described him as a popular boy with a dark sense of humour.

He also discussed his experience of anxiety and depression with his peers.

The teenager was part of group of school friends who regularly drank, smoked and partied together during the school holidays.

Concerns have been raised about the ongoing welfare, not only of those young people who gave evidence, but of all those who knew him

Counselling and other support has been made available to the young people on the island since the incident.

Alesha MacPhail's parents wanted the world to know who raped and murdered their six-year-old child.

For weeks they sat in court and watched as Aaron Campbell sat with news reports referring to him only as AC because it was illegal to identify those under the age of 18 who commit a crime.

Even when the 16-year-old was found guilty, his identity was still protected for legal reasons.

However, a day after his conviction, judge Lord Matthews lifted the restriction following an application from media outlets, including STV News.

The judge heard a price had been put on Campbell's head, but he said: "I can't think of a case in recent times that has attracted such revulsion.

"I intend to grant the application. The press may name the accused and publish images of him."

A leading criminologist believes naming the child killer could force him to accept his guilt.

Professor David Wilson backed the decision to identify Campbell after he was found guilty.

He said: "I know through my work with young men who have committed murder in England that if they have anonymity that prevents a great deal of work being done with them in relation to get them to take responsibility for their offending.

"Throughout this case, Aaron Campbell seemed to be a master at preventing himself from taking responsibility for what he had done.

"I think in naming him that will help those people who are going to work with him in custody to be able to get him to take responsibility for the crime that he has committed.

"I've got absolutely no doubt that when you have to work with young people who have committed very serious crimes, the first stage in that process is to get them to acknowledge their guilt.

"A great deal of work would have to be done with him therapeutically to get him to accept his responsibility and I think that process has been aided by the fact that he's been publicly identified."