A cheese wire which was used to murder an Aberdeen taxi driver was part of a cheese board set that was manufactured in England, a detective has revealed.
George Murdoch was garrotted with the unusual weapon, discovered at the scene of his brutal attack on Pitfodels Station Road, Cults, on September 29 1983.
But the 58-year-old cabbie’s death remains unsolved and now Police Scotland has taken its latest appeal for information to catch his killer nationwide.
Detective Inspector James Callander appeared on the BBC’s Crimewatch Live programme on Tuesday morning to discuss the cold case.
He revealed that the murder weapon – a cheese wire – was made in England by a “family-run” firm that’s no longer trading.
Speaking to the Press and Journal after the broadcast, the Det Insp explained: “We identified the manufacturing company in 1983 and they said, ‘yes, that’s one of the cheese wires we produce and it was produced to go with a specific cheese board set’.
The senior investigating officer (SIO) added: “We believe it was mainly available in England. We don’t know if it was ever sold or purchased in Scotland – certainly not in Aberdeen, that we’re aware of.
“We certainly know where it was manufactured and how it was sold. As far as I’m aware, the manufacturing company is no longer in existence.
“It was around the midlands of England, so, we’re expecting it had quite a wide reach. As far as how many were manufactured, we have no idea.”
Detective Inspector Callander had travelled to Cardiff where the BBC broadcasts its crime-fighting show live.
During a studio interview, he appealed for help to identify a man he believes has “vital” knowledge which may help to identify the so-called Cheese Wire Killer.
A P&J reader had approached detectives last year and recalled drinking with another man at Wilson’s Sports Bar in Aberdeen on September 26 2015.
The man told investigators that the person, who was unknown to him, had “indicated that they have some new information”.
Police were also given a photograph in which the yet-to-be-identified individual was pictured wearing a T-shirt from Iron Maiden’s The Final Frontier tour of Germany.
The man, whose face is not visible in the photo, was among a group of young men who were being entertained by older gentlemen sharing their war stories in the bar.
Det Insp Callander demonstrated a replica of the Iron Maiden T-shirt, worn by the key witness, on Tuesday’s episode of Crimewatch Live.
Since an earlier appeal to trace the man, now thought to be aged in his 60s or 70s, “a number of calls” have been received from as far away as the Middle East.
“There’s been a number of calls that have come in. Some really positive ones. A couple that has the potential to identify the Iron Maiden man,” the SIO said.
“Unfortunately, the Iron Maiden guy hasn’t come forward himself yet, but he may well have passed away. It was seven years ago and he was probably 60/70 back then.
‘Calls as far away as the Middle East’
“We’ve had a number of calls from England and across the world, as far away as the Middle East, which we’ll be looking to follow up.
“Obviously, the Middle East has got connections to the Aberdeen area through the oil and gas sector, so there’s no surprise there.
“We can’t just focus on Aberdeen. We’ve got to widen the appeal.”
Other people have responded to the T-shirt appeal by contacting the police by email or via a Facebook page.
One person has provided detectives with an image of someone they believe fits the description of the man wearing the Iron Maiden shirt, the Det Insp said.
“It’s somebody basically saying, ‘There’s this guy. Here’s a photograph of him. He’s as you’ve described. It may well be him’.
“We don’t know who that person is or where they are from. We don’t know his name.
“We just need to try and identify who this is which I think we may be able to do. It just might take a bit of time.
Tuesday’s Crimewatch Live broadcast aired a reconstruction of the events leading up to George Murdoch’s murder for a second time.
The programme also re-ran an emotional pre-recorded interview with George’s nephew Alex McKay.
He told the Press and Journal that the latest developments make him feel optimistic about the chances of cracking his uncle’s case.
“There are people who are all around the world now – either from Aberdeen, were working in Aberdeen, or know people that were in Aberdeen around the time of the murder – who have seen and heard things.
“Detectives are doing some painstaking work down to the minutest of details but they still need the public to help put that jigsaw together.
“The police are not the weakness in this case. They’re the strength.
“What they now need is someone from the community to come forward and give them the information they can’t get without the public’s help so that they can turn it into a result.”
£50,000 reward for information
Detectives continue to believe that the motive for George Murdoch’s murder was theft.
Before the tragedy, he’d picked up his last-ever fare on Aberdeen’s Queen’s Road, before travelling towards Peterculter.
Mr Murdoch’s wallet and his taxi’s takings from that evening, which amounted to anywhere between £21 and £35, were missing from his car after the fatal attack.
Anyone who has not come forward previously who believes they can assist the investigation should telephone 101 or e-mail: SCDHOLMESAberdeen@scotland.police.uk or private message the George Murdoch Murder Facebook page.
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