Since we released our statement on Saturday, raising concerns about the poor leadership of Alistair’s murder investigation, no one at Police Scotland has reached out to us.
We had previously extended the courtesy of informing officers of our plan to speak out against the incompetence of senior figures, which is having a detrimental effect on the progress of this 20-year-long unsolved case.
We also criticised Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s outright refusal to meet with our family to discuss ongoing issues that remain unresolved.
These serious matters, including one upheld complaint of misconduct by Head of Major Crime DCS Paul Livingstone, cannot be properly addressed by any Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) or Family Liaison Officer (FLO), of whom we’ve had many over the years.
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.
On Monday, the Chief Constable told STV News: “There is a new SIO and team working now in relation to that investigation” and told BBC Scotland News: “I think it’s important with a new Senior Investigating Officer and Family Liaison Officers that they build a relationship…”
However, we were still not aware of who this “new SIO” was, and we still haven’t been introduced to any new Family Liaison Officers.
On Tuesday, we contacted our existing Family Liaison Officer, after having no contact from the force since our first statement, who told us their replacements have not yet been appointed.
Veronica Wilson, Alistair’s 53-year-old wife said: “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.
“We are baffled as to how the Chief Constable can claim that ‘a new SIO and team’ is ‘working now’.”
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.”
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, we have since described the announcement that Alistair’s murder would be subject to a “complete reinvestigation” as upsetting and a huge disappointment – far from the ‘good news story’ that Police Scotland wanted it to be.
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.
It appears there won’t be any continuity from the previous investigation team who have built up the required knowledge.
