The uncle of murdered Alesha MacPhail said her killer was "applying salt to a very open wound" after an appeal cut his minimum prison sentence by three years.

Aaron Campbell, who was 16 when he killed the schoolgirl on the Isle of Bute in July 2018, denied the charges throughout a two-week trial earlier this year, but then admitted the offence during his sentencing hearing in March.

Judge Lord Matthews handed Campbell, now 17, a mandatory life sentence and ordered him to spend at least 27 years behind bars.

However, after winning his appeal, the minimum term Campbell will now serve before being considered for parole has been reduced from 27 years to 24 due to his age at the time of the murder.

Speaking to STV News, CJ MacPhail said the ruling has made him "lose trust" in the justice system.

He said: "I feel angry and upset. I'm losing the trust and the faith I had in the justice system to protect people.

"It's applying salt to a very open wound. It hurts hard - it's the last thing anybody needed to hear. This has been the most atrocious day."

Mr MacPhail, who is the brother of Alesha's father Robert, added: "The justice system hasn't helped us in any sort of way other than give give give to him and take away from us.

"Me and my family feel like we're just being told we have to wait about and accept whatever happens - whereas he has got a lot of options in what he can do and can change the outcome of the decision that was already given.

"He plays the system and it works for him every time."

The decision to reduce Campbell's sentence was made by Lord Drummond Young, Lord Menzies and Lord Justice Clerk on Tuesday after an appeal hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on August 7.

The ruling said: "Against the cases to which we have made reference, a punishment part in excess of 20 years was plainly merited.

"We have concluded that a punishment part of 24 years would be appropriate to reflect the appellant's youth."

Alesha, from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, was only a few days into a family holiday on the Isle of Bute when she was targeted by Campbell.

Armed with a knife, he snatched her from 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.

Mr MacPhail told STV News how he has struggled every day since the murder.

He said: "Time doesn't heal. It doesn't heal as fast as what people think. Most people think I am a very strong person - I'm not. I hurt every single day."

Mr MacPhail 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.