A leading criminologist believes a gunman who killed a Scots banker on his doorstep more than 13 years ago was “an assassin” who may never be caught.
Alistair Wilson, a Bank of Scotland business banking manager, was shot three times at his home in Nairn at around 7pm on Sunday 28 November, 2004.
The 30-year-old father-of-two was handed a bright blue envelope with the name “Paul” on it. He took it to his wife, Veronica, before returning to the door, where he was shot dead moments later.
No motive has ever been established and the killer has never been caught.
Dr Mohammed Rahman, lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University, who has analysed the case, said he believes the gunman was a professional. And he likened the unsolved case to that of tv presenter Jill Dando, who was also killed on her doorstep, in Fulham, London, five years earlier.
Speaking in a BBC podcast, he said: “I believe that this case has all the hallmarks of a professional assassination, which was conducted by what we can call a master hitman — a competent individual who successfully killed his target with precision and accuracy.
“From what we know, the hitman left no forensic evidence at the crime scene. The fact that he left no evidence in an open environment which he had limited control over demonstrates his advanced awareness levels of forensic science.
“For me it also demonstrates his competency. A lot of people have said, ‘well, if this guy is a professional assassin, then why on earth would he kill his target at the door? Well, in fact a killing at the doorstep of the target is one of the hallmarks of a master hitman.
“No-one would ever think about being killed on their own doorstep. It’s a place of security, which means that in most cases the house owner is relaxed, their guard is down and invariably vulnerable to harm.
“We’ve seen this in the case of Jill Dando, who was killed on her doorstep and, like this case, the case of Jill Dando remains unsolved.”
Dr Rahman said he believes the envelope given to Mr Wilson was symbolic, and the name Paul was intended to be circulated in the media to send a message to others.
He said: “Whoever commissioned the hit would know that the envelope would be mentioned in the media and therefore it could have been used to send out a subliminal message to any wider connections to Alistair’s case.
“In this case I would strongly think that the person that commissioned the hit will never be found.”
Mr Wilson was reading his two young sons bedtime stories when his wife answered the door to a 35-40 year old man who asked for Alistair by name. When he went to the door, he was handed the envelope.
He took the envelope inside to his wife before returning to the door, where he was shot twice in the head and once in the body.
Mrs Wilson said she believes the murder may have been a case of mistaken identity, adding “it’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”