The uncle of Alesha MacPhail does not want the six-year-old to be remembered as the young girl who was "killed by a monster".

Speaking to STV News, CJ MacPhail said the child was someone who lived "life to the full" and should be remembered because "she's the one who's gone".

He has called for changes to the law so children accused of the most serious crimes - such as rape and murder - can be tried as adults in court.

Mr MacPhail, who is the brother of Alesha's father Robert, said: "She was a smiley, happy girl that was just living her life to the full - just enjoying herself - making sure that everyone else was happy and nothing more, nothing less than that.

"But I don't want her to be remembered as the young girl that was killed by a monster.

"She's the one who needs to be kept in everyone's minds. He shouldn't have one thought spent on him because he's not worth it."

Alesha was a few days into a summer holiday with her father and grandparents, staying at the home they shared on Bute in the Firth of Clyde, when she was abducted from her bed, raped and then murdered by 16-year-old Aaron Campbell.

Alesha's dad told a trial at the High Court in Glasgow how he put his daughter to bed on July 1, 2018 and was woken the next morning by his frantic parents, Calum MacPhail and Angela King, saying she was missing.

A few hours later Alesha's body was found in nearby woodland at the former Kyles Hydropathic Hotel, with a post-mortem examination recording more than 100 injuries.

Detectives recovered clothes and a knife from the area, and further evidence came from Campbell's own mother, who provided CCTV footage which showed her son coming and going several times in the early hours of July 2.

Campbell's DNA was also found on various parts of Alesha's body, including intimate areas, with 14 samples matching.

Despite a mountain of evidence stacked against him, Campbell pleaded not guilty and put Alesha's family through a trial.

Mr MacPhail said he felt a lot of anger towards the teenager, stating: "I think he's vile, I think he's disgusting.

"Sometimes there was points where I couldn't even stay in because there was that much anger and I was that upset at some of the stuff that I heard and saw."

Following the nine-day trial, Campbell was unanimously found guilty by the jury and was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 27 years by judge Lord Matthews.

At the sentencing earlier this month, Lord Matthews branded the killer as a "cold, callous, calculating, remorseless and dangerous individual".

Despite pleading his innocence throughout the trial, Campbell finally admitted killing Alesha within his Criminal Justice Social Work report.

Campbell explained that he had been drinking with friends at his house and wanted cannabis, so he went to the home of Robert MacPhail, who had sold him drugs in the past.

After finding the door unlocked, Campbell told the psychologist that when he came across Alesha sleeping in her bed all he "thought about was killing her".

Campbell admitted that he was "mildly amused" in the days following the murder that he had not yet been arrested.

He also told the psychologist he was "quite satisfied" with the murder and had struggled to contain his laughter during the trial.

He added: "This is to take something out of a bad situation and try to make more positive change to it.

"And this is not just for Alesha because this is not going to bring back Alesha.

"What it is going to do, it's going to protect people in the future from having to go through the exact same thing that we've gone through and it is also going to act as a deterrent to anyone at that age who thinks that they are only going to be handed down a child sentence."

In response to the petition, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Our sympathies are with Alesha's family for the horrific experience they have endured.

"Sentencing within the overall legal framework is a matter for the judiciary, which is independent of ministers."