The family of murdered Nairn banker Alistair Wilson today branded Police Scotland “incompetent” and said they have “lost confidence” in the force’s ability to catch his killer.
Speaking publicly for the first time about their anger and frustration, Alistair’s widow Veronica and oldest son Andrew told The Press and Journal their relationship with the police had “steadily deteriorated”.
They blamed “unresolved and ongoing issues” over the last 18 months which they described as “not being properly addressed”.
In a damning criticism of Police Scotland’s handling of the 20-year-old case, they:
- Slammed the highest levels of the constabulary’s leadership for having “poor judgement” and a “lack of accountability”.
- Revealed all their trust in senior officers “has regrettably eroded”.
- Said their loyalty and cooperation had been “taken for granted” and police bosses had damaged their relationship “beyond repair”.
- Questioned why the head of major crime Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone had not been suspended or sacked despite their complaint about his conduct being upheld by a professional standards body.
- Spoke of their shock at Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s “outright refusal” to meet them to discuss their growing concerns.
The family said that for two decades they had “agreed to stay out of the spotlight” and never comment publicly on detectives’ efforts to apprehend the elusive gunman, who brutally slayed the married father-of-two on his doorstep.
However, events in the last week have pushed his grieving loved ones to boiling point, a scathing family statement says.
On Monday, Scotland’s most senior prosecutor, the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC instructed a “complete reinvestigation” of the case to be carried out.
She said a new team of prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) will be appointed to review the evidence “afresh”.
‘Upsetting’ announcement of complete reinvestigation was ‘huge disappointment’
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, from Police Scotland, added that his officers “remain committed and determined” to identify Alistair’s killer and “get justice for his family”.
ACC Johnson explained: “We are in the process of identifying the investigation team and it will be overseen by a Detective Chief Superintendent in their capacity as a Strategic Senior Investigation Officer.”
The Wilsons told The P&J: “Last week’s announcement that Alistair’s murder would be subject to a ‘complete reinvestigation’ was upsetting and a huge disappointment as the announcement felt far from the ‘good news story’ that Police Scotland wanted it to be.”
Relations nosedived after police aborted a planned arrest
The move came nine months after it emerged that relations between the Wilsons and Police Scotland had broken down, sparking a complaint to the force’s Professional Standards Department about their handling of the case.
A row erupted after Alistair’s relatives were told of a potentially imminent arrest of a possible suspect in May last year but then he was never detained for further questioning.
The family insisted: “It would not be appropriate for us to comment on recent media reports of the police aborting a planned arrest in relation to Alistair’s murder.”
However, they went on: “We have since made a series of complaints about Police Scotland’s handling of Alistair’s investigation, including the conduct of its head of major crime Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone.
And the Wilsons revealed: “As a family, we have welcomed some of the conclusions by Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), with the former upholding one complaint against DCS Livingstone.
“Despite awaiting the outcome of upcoming disciplinary proceedings, DCS Livingstone remains in his job and is not even suspended.
“That he continues to have oversight of every murder enquiry in Scotland, including Alistair’s is a completely unacceptable situation, particularly given his integrity has been questioned.”
The unfolding drama further descended into chaos, the family said, when they were left feeling “shocked” at Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s “outright refusal” to meet them as part of a “last-ditch” attempt to salvage relations.
‘I cannot understand why Paul Livingstone hasn’t been sacked’
Alistair’s oldest son Andrew Wilson, 24, who was just four when his father was killed, told The Press and Journal: “I cannot understand why Paul Livingstone hasn’t been sacked and if Jo Farrell won’t rethink our request for a meeting, then it brings into question her position too.
“What we have suffered is nothing short of incompetent police leadership and, if it continues, it risks getting in the way of catching my dad’s killer and getting the justice we as a family deserve.”
Veronica Wilson, Alistair’s 53-year-old wife added: “It pains me that my sons have been robbed of having a father, but for them and my husband to be denied justice two decades on from that tragedy is even more traumatic for the family.
“We have lost confidence in Police Scotland.”
This newspaper previously reported that detectives had set their sights on a man of interest who was aged in his 20s at the time of Alistair’s fatal shooting.
Row over hotel’s retrospective planning application for decking outside pub may be motive
Police had earlier appealed for information from witnesses who had been in the Havelock Hotel and pub two days before Alistair’s tragic death.
The man – a former emergency service worker turned convicted criminal who served jail time in the past for an unrelated drugs charge – was known to be a regular drinker at the venue as he lived nearby, and former neighbours believed that he kept guns in his house.
The hotel, which is across the street from the Wilson seaside family home on Crescent Road, was embroiled in a bitter argument over a retrospective planning application to build decking that had already been installed.
Next-door neighbour Alistair had objected to it, citing concerns about privacy, noise and broken glass from rowdy pub-goers.
In his letter of objection, Alistair complained about beer glasses “strewn in the street” and his family feeling “uncomfortable” with customers “staring” at them.
The document was sent to Highland Council’s planning department the week that he was brutally attacked outside his property.
A copy of the correspondence – revealing his identity – was then sent to the then-pub landlord Andy Burnet two days before the banker lost his life on the evening of November 28 2004.
Mr Burnet has previously assisted officers as a potential witness but is not being treated as a suspect.
No one has ever been charged with Alistair’s murder.
The vicious attack, which involved a World War One handgun, soon led to the discovery of a .265 Haenel Suhl Schmeisser pistol – believed to be the murder weapon – in a drain near the scene of the crime 10 days later.
In December 2022, a Channel 5 documentary called “Murder On The Doorstep: Who Killed Alistair Wilson?” was aired on television.
During the programme, detectives revealed that the mystery murderer’s motive was thought to be linked with the decking planning application row.
The then-Detective Superintendent Graeme Mackie told TV producers: “The Havelock pub at that time was a really popular venue.
“People were invested in this decking. People who attended that pub helped build it. They took a lot of pride in it.
“We’ve interviewed a lot of people who were in that pub that night. There was a level of conversation within the pub being upset towards Alistair complaining about it and the potential that it could be taken away.”
Police Scotland responds to family’s concerns
The Press and Journal asked Police Scotland to respond to the Wilsons’ claims and criticisms.
Regarding Andrew’s concerns about “incompetent leadership”, a spokeswoman provided us with the same statement from ACC Johnson that was released on Monday when the reinvestigation was announced.
He said: “We have recently received new instruction from the Lord Advocate to reinvestigate the murder of Alistair Wilson. Officers remain committed and determined to identify Alistair’s killer and to get justice for his family.”
‘Nothing to add’
Asked to respond to the suggestion the family were misled about the decision to abort the imminent arrest of a potential suspect, the spokeswoman said: “A previous complaint regarding the investigation was responded to.”
We asked if it was appropriate that DCS Paul Livingstone still has oversight of the investigation as the head of major crime.
The spokesman said: “A new strategic senior investigating officer has been appointed to oversee this investigation.”
With regards to the family’s claim that Chief Constable Jo Farrell refused to meet the family, the spokeswoman said: “Nothing to add to current statement” and provided us once again with Monday’s statement from ACC Johnson.
Finally, we asked for their response to the family’s fears that “poor judgement and lack of accountability at the highest levels of Police Scotland” might mean that Alistair’s killer is never caught.
The Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Nothing to add to current statement” and provided us with Monday’s statement from ACC Johnson for the third time.
The Scottish Police Authority, which describes itself on its website as “the primary governance body for policing in Scotland” that aims “to increase public trust and confidence in policing”, did not respond to The Press and Journal’s nine-hour deadline for comment.
Read more:
‘We have no other option other than to speak out publicly’ – The Wilson family’s statement in full
Anyone who believes they can assist police is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 515 of 4 March 2022 and Operation Sorn or you can e-mail a dedicated inbox at SCDHOLMESAberdeen@scotland.pnn.police.uk
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