A new detective assigned to lead the investigation into the murder of Alistair Wilson is holidaying abroad, not “working now” as Scotland’s top cop has claimed.
The Nairn banker’s family accused “callous” Chief Constable Jo Farrell of making misleading comments to the media on Monday as she recited lines prepared for her on the controversial unsolved case.
A lone gunman, who blasted the married father-of-two on his doorstep, has never been arrested let alone charged or prosecuted almost 20 years on from the tragedy.
In May last year, detectives scrapped plans to arrest a potential suspect, destroying their relationship with the Wilsons and causing the country’s prosecution service to order a “complete reinvestigation”.
Jo Farrell earlier this week insisted that Police Scotland remains “absolutely committed” to catching Mr Wilson’s killer and securing justice for the family.
“There is a new team”, she added while defending herself and the force against fierce criticisms of “incompetence” from the Wilsons at the weekend.
She told BBC Scotland News: “I think it’s important with a new Senior Investigating Officer and Family Liaison Officers that they build a relationship…”, adding to an STV News reporter: “There is a new SIO and team working now in relation to that investigation.”
However, it soon emerged that the new Senior Investigating Officer was actually disturbed overseas on holiday asking them to lead the reinvestigation.
Completely ‘baffled’ and ‘in the dark’
As the Wilsons watched Monday’s television broadcasts of Jo Farrell’s partly scripted interviews, they said they were completely “in the dark” about who this SIO was.
Veronica Wilson, Alistair’s 53-year-old wife, told The Press and Journal: “On Tuesday, we contacted our existing Family Liaison Officer … who told us their replacements have not yet been appointed.
“Jo Farrell was further contradicted when the Family Liaison Officer told us that, although a new SIO had been identified, they were actually abroad on holiday the day after the Chief Constable said ‘a new SIO and team’ were ‘working now’.
“Astonishingly, we were also informed that nobody will be back at work until next week.
The widow added she felt “baffled” how the under-fire Chief Constable could suggest a new team of investigators were busy with the case.
Alistair’s oldest son Andrew Wilson, 24, who was just four when his father was killed, added: “It remains a mystery to us, and we question why our family is still being kept in the dark while Jo Farrell is basking in the media spotlight as she talks of building bridges and providing confidence to our family.
“We don’t know whether Jo Farrell has been confused or perhaps even caught in a lie, but she has certainly failed to reassure us that she has a grip on this worsening situation.”
The ongoing police investigation descended into chaos last Saturday when relations between Police Scotland and the Wilson family went into meltdown.
A family statement previously provided exclusively to this newspaper by the Wilson family said all their trust in police leadership had “eroded” due to bosses’ “poor judgement” and “lack of accountability”.
And the grieving relatives slammed Jo Farrell’s “outright refusal” to meet them to discuss their growing concerns.
No one from Police Scotland has reached out to the distressed family since then.
‘Devastating blow by callous police chief’
Now, in a scathing fresh statement, the Wilsons have again spoken out after learning Chief Constable Jo Farrell hasn’t changed her mind.
It read: “It was insulting for Jo Farrell to tell the media – not us – that she hasn’t ‘got any plans’ to meet us.
“Learning of this impersonal response from her through media reports was a devastating blow dealt by a callous police chief.
“And hearing Jo Farrell repeatedly referring to us as ‘that family’ in broadcast media interviews left us feeling like nothing more than a case number.”
Police Scotland claims ‘the family have been kept updated’
Police Scotland responded to the Wilsons’ claims last night.
A spokeswoman told The Press and Journal: “The Chief Constable was referencing the Strategic Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Suzanne Chow, who was in contact with the family last week via family liaison officers.
“A Senior Investigating Officer has also been appointed and the wider team, which will take forward the reinvestigation, is being identified.
“The family have been kept updated on this work.”
But, the family further disputed the latest claims by Police Scotland.
They revealed that, although Family Liaison Officers contacted them last week, as the police claimed, they were not informed about Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) Suzanne Chow’s involvement by the police at that time.
The Wilsons said DCS Chow’s role was only confirmed by the police to them during a phone call on Tuesday chasing Family Liaison Officers for an update.
However, it came after retired detective and TV personality Peter Bleksley had already posted about DCS Chow on social media platform X two days before.
In the coming months, the senior police figure responsible for all Major Crime Teams investigating murders across Scotland, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone will face disciplinary proceedings.
It follows serious matters raised by the Wilson family including one upheld complaint of misconduct by DCS Livingstone embroiled in events surrounding the aborted arrest.
‘Fresh faces will take months, even years to catch up to progress made’
The Wilson family ended their latest statement by commenting further on the “upsetting…huge disappointment” of a new reinvestigation.
“It means fresh faces will take months, maybe even years to catch up to the progress already made, due to the scale of the investigation,” they said.
“It appears there won’t be any continuity from the previous investigation team who have built up the required knowledge.”
When detectives were preparing to make their move to detain a man in the first half of last year, they were firmly focused on a row over a retrospective planning application for decking being behind the killer’s motive.
After Mr Wilson died on the evening of November 28 2004, it was revealed that he had lodged a formal objection to decking installed outside the Havelock Hotel and pub opposite his home, complaining about noise, broken glass and a lack of privacy.
The document was sent to Highland Council’s planning department, which publicly identified him, the week that he was brutally attacked outside his property.
Read more:
‘Our family is still being kept in the dark’: The Wilson family’s full statement
Exclusive: Murdered Nairn banker’s family brands Police Scotland ‘incompetent’
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.ukÂ
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