Victim's father visits burial site

The father of student Dinah McNicol said yesterday that he could begin to grieve after visiting the house where his daughter's remains are believed to have lain hidden for 16 years.

Ian McNicol, from Essex, paid tribute to police who found the body at the Kent home where the remains of schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton were also discovered last week.

Police said last night that detailed searches of the property failed to yield any significant new leads.

Mr McNicol, whose daughter went missing in 1991, said touring the house had been a difficult experience.

Speaking outside 50 Irvine Drive in Margate, he said: "At least they have found her remains and I can speak for the whole family that we can now put her to rest and grieve in our own time, which is what we have wanted for 16 years. "

Supported by a relative as he stood in the muddy back garden, Mr McNicol, from Tillingham, added: "I'd like to thank all the officers who've done their work so well. "

Just before he was led away by Essex Police officers, Mr McNicol, 68, added: "I will cry, but not in front of you lot. "

The property is the former home of Peter Tobin, 61, the man charged with murdering 15-year-old Vicky, from Redding, near Falkirk.

The handyman appeared in private at Linlithgow Sheriff Court, West Lothian, on Thursday.

The suspect will return to court on Thursday, the Crown Office said.