A man appeared in private at court yesterday accused of murdering a 54-year-old hotel chef – described by his family as a “nice, quiet guy” – who died after a blaze at a block of flats in Inverness.
Gary Gallogley died in hospital on April 5 following a fire at his home on Mackintosh Road in the Raigmore area of the city two days earlier.
Ryan Brandie, 23, made no plea. He was committed for further examination and remanded in custody.
It is expected he will make another appearance within the next eight days.
Mr Gallogley, who was originally from Coatbridge, near Glasgow, had lived alone at the flat since 2002.
A family member, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday: “He was a nice guy, a quiet guy who would have done anything for anyone. We are devastated.
“It was tragic what happened to him. He had moved to the Highlands a few years ago and loved the life.
“He used to visit us four or five times a year, but loved the lifestyle in the Highlands. It was very different from down here.
“He first moved to Aviemore to work in a hotel, but then moved further north to Inverness and decided to stay.
“He worked in a number of hotels in Inverness, but was not working at the time of the incident.”
Mr Gallogley had just returned from attending his brother-in-law’s funeral in the Central Belt the day before the blaze.
The fire broke out around 10.15pm on the Tuesday, and several residents were evacuated from the block of flats.
Mr Gallogley was rushed to nearby Raigmore Hospital in a serious condition.
Four appliances from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service – three from Inverness and one from Nairn – were all called to the scene to extinguish the blaze.
Mr Gallogley died two days later of his injuries.
Detective Inspector Eddie Ross said: “I would like to thank the local community for their patience during our inquiries.
“Our thoughts are with Mr Gallogley’s family and friends at this sad time.”