Out with pals and posing for the snap on a warm summer’s evening.
The image was posted on Instagram alongside the message, “Good times”.
But soon evil Aaron Campbell sentencing: Judge's statement in full as killer branded 'remorseless and dangerous' would sneak into the home where Alesha MacPhail was staying on the Isle of Bute, snatch her away and end her life in the most horrific fashion.
Last night, his former friends were still asking where his “violence and lack of feeling” came from when he appeared so unremarkable on the surface.
Campbell, 16, finally confessed to Alesha’s rape and murder before being jailed for a minimum of 27 years on Thursday. It emerged in court that he told a psychologist: “All I thought about was killing her once I saw her.”
Now, the Record has obtained new photos which show Aaron Campbell sentencing: Judge's statement in full as killer branded 'remorseless and dangerous' appearing as a typical youth to most observers.
Alesha MacPhail and Shaun Woodburn families join forces in teen killer law change call
Aged 10, he’s seen watching with delight as candles are blown out on a cake at a friend’s birthday party, a half-eaten hamburger on his own plate.
In one taken less than a year before the murder, a friend takes a photo of Campbell and a circle of a dozen mates at another bash using a selfie stick. Perhaps tellingly, he’s the only one not smiling, looking straight at the camera instead.
Only from his last-minute confession was it discovered that twisted Campbell had been fantasising about committing an “excessive” crime, like rape, for about a year.
Aaron Campbell sentencing: Judge's statement in full as killer branded 'remorseless and dangerous'
The photo taken hours before the murder was snapped on Saturday, June 30, last year.
Alesha MacPhail's mum says she 'looks forward to death' of daughter's sick killer, who enjoyed maths and physics classes and posted videos online of his trampolining skills, had spent that night camping on Ettrick Bay to mark the first weekend of the school holidays.
He seems happy and content, apparently looking forward to his long break away from lessons. The following day, he used Snapchat to invite 15 friends to a party at his four-bedroom house.
But as the party ended at about 12.30am on July 2, Campbell went looking for cannabis at the attic flat where Alesha was staying with dad Rab MacPhail, 26, and found the youngster sleeping in bed.
Alesha MacPhail's mum says she 'looks forward to death' of daughter's sick killer
Telling Alesha he was a friend of her father, he carried her from the home, even giving her his top to keep her warm.
After raping and killing her, Campbell threw his blood-stained clothing into the sea.
Last night, a friend who provided photos to the Record was still at a loss to explain how Campbell could be capable of such a shocking crime.
He speculated that “drug and alcohol abuse” in his teen years could have been a factor.
