Gillian Wilson carried out the macabre act on Charlene Lever, pictured, ahead of a massive police search to try to find the missing 21-year-old.

Wilson, 26, ‘panicked’ after finding Miss Lever dead — then moved her body to the empty flat at 6 Clune Park Street, a court heard yesterday.

She then told a catalogue of lies to police and said her friend had gone to a party in Coatbridge following a drugs transaction with an Asian man.

Wilson openly wept in the dock of Greenock Sheriff Court as the grim details of what she did were read out in front of Miss Lever’s family.

Procurator fiscal depute Kevin Doherty told how the deceased young woman had been reported missing by her grandfather on 24 July last year.

A full scale police inquiry to locate Miss Lever swung into operation but she had already been dead for at least five days, the court heard.

Officers who turned up at Clune Park Street on 31 July found decomposing human remains on the ground floor of a block of flats where Wilson lived upstairs. Prosecutor Mr Doherty said: “On entering the close, they saw that the ground floor flat was insecure. They entered and a certain odour was apparent to the officers. On checking further they discovered the body of Charlene Lever and other officers were summoned to attend.

“The position of the body was unusual. There had been partial concealment. That unusual position raised suspicions as to the potential cause of this young woman’s death. It was immediately treated as suspicious and officers from the major investigations team were summoned.” The court heard how the body of Miss Lever — who was described as ‘having difficulties’ — contained high levels of heroin as well as traces of alcohol, painkillers and tranquilisers.

She had needed medical treatment for two drugs overdoses prior to her death. Wilson pleaded guilty to a charge on indictment of wasting police time and rendering other people liable to suspicion over Miss Lever’s death.

The court was told than more than 3,000 police hours were devoted to the search operation and subsequent enquiries following her tissue of lies.

Mr Doherty said: “It was already known that Gillian Wilson had been in Charlene Lever’s company on 18 July from CCTV footage. This was the last known sighting of Charlene by anyone other that Gillian Wilson. The accused was spoken to and provided a statement to officers. She gave a detailed account as to the movements of Charlene Lever. However, the content of those statements provided inaccurate and misleading information.” The fiscal depute told how Wilson finally told the truth to officers at Glasgow’s Helen Street police office on 26 August last year — more than a month after her friend’s death.

He said: “Gillian Wilson told how the deceased spent the evening of 18 July in her flat.

“On the morning of 19 July she awoke to find the deceased dead on a bed within her flat.

“She told the police that she attempted to carry out CPR on the deceased but it was immediately obvious to her that Charlene was dead. The accused said that she could not understand this because as far as she was aware Charlene Lever had only taken valium.” Mr Doherty added: “She said that she panicked and that she felt responsible for Charlene’s death. She decided to move Charlene from her flat and place her in a flat on the ground floor of the block.

“Gillian Wilson told officers that she returned to the flat on two occasions, having left Charlene there, but had taken no further steps in relation to this matter. She did confirm that no other person was involved in the decisions she took in relation to Charlene.” Defence advocate Lorenzo Alonzi told the court that Wilson was in ‘fear for her safety’ because Miss Lever’s family had blamed her for getting her involved in drugs. Mr Alonzi said: “She panicked and that is what led her to take the body downstairs to the flat below.

“But that is not the subject matter of the libel. The libel is in relation to the lies she told to the police. She was in fear that she had created a situation that she couldn’t get out of. She has had to relocate and is in constant fear.

“In relation to that, these lies were told.” Sheriff Derek Hamilton deferred sentence on Wilson until next month for background reports and continued her bail.