Foster parents Craig and Carol Niven were in court to hear the verdicts as Amber Gibson's brother was today found guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering her.

Afterwards, the family as a whole paid tribute to Amber following the end of the harrowing murder trial.

In an emotional statement, they said: "When they arrived at our home, Amber was three and Connor aged five.

"Connor stated: 'We are safe' - they were until he took the safety away.

"Amber deserved to live a life of hope and opportunities.

"As a family, we will never be able to get over how this was taken from her.

"We are relieved the people involved in what happened to her are now behind bars.

"However, no amount of time will be justice enough for such a young innocent life."

They described Amber as the "most giving, caring, loving, supportive and admirable person" who had a love of art and singing.

The couple added: "She had the most amazing outlook on life considering the suffering she had experienced."

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They also commented how they had listened to evidence of "how much Amber and Connor have been let down throughout their lives by the system".

The statement went on: "As a family, we all feel this could have been prevented. 

"We now have one daughter buried in Larkhall Cemetery and another child in prison.

"We really miss Amber - life will never be the same."

The family also thanked the police, prosecution and others who had provided support.