An Inverness forensic artist has created a new image of former North Sea oil diver turned drug smuggler Julian Chisholm, aka Mr X, who vanished more than 30 years ago.
Hew Morrison, a forensic artist trained at Dundee University, was inspired to create the reconstruction of Chisholm after listening to The Press and Journal’s thrilling true crime podcast Hunting Mr X.
Mr Morrison said he hoped the image – which ages Chisholm based on an original mugshot released when he first went on the run – would lead to the fugitive finally facing justice for his crimes.
He said: “I don’t think that it matters how much time has passed, in this case over 30 years. People who are involved in the distribution of hard drugs need to be taken off the streets and punished, as cocaine is a substance that ruins lives.
“When the podcast Hunting Mr X came out my interest in the case again piqued.”
Giving a face to a wanted man
In Hunting Mr X, we documented how Chisholm, who previously worked in Aberdeen, recruited a gang of Scots as part of a plot to smuggle in £100 million worth of Colombian cocaine into the UK via Ullapool.
After his plans were thwarted by police and customs, Chisholm escaped from custody in Spain while awaiting extradition and fled leaving his five other accomplices to be convicted for the importation.
Chisholm remains, to this day, one of the most wanted men in the UK.
Mr Morrison, from Inverness, uses “computing software” and “forensic facial reconstruction” to painstakingly recreate the faces of runaway criminals, homicide victims and missing people.
His recreations are mostly used in criminal cases and missing persons cases where there has “not been a successful identification through the standard methods, such as fingerprints, dental records and DNA”.
Mr Morrison has now supplied The Press and Journal with this exclusive look at how a 61-year-old Julian Chisholm could look in the present day.
To recreate Chisholm’s face, Mr Morrison used the original mugshot of Julian Chisholm taking into account Chisholm projected age and the “stress of being on the run”.
Mr Morrison said: “I used a number of very high-quality stock images of male faces from a large library that I have collected over the years and picked out individual features that bore the closest resemblance to those of Chisholm’s features.
“Each feature was altered to match Chisholm’s features using computer software, whilst taking into consideration the fact that he is now 30 years older.
“There are small lines, creases etc on his original image that would have become more obvious throughout the years as he has aged. Having an understanding of facial anatomy played a big part in this process.”
Morrison, who has over a decade of experience as a forensic artist, admitted that there is some estimation and guess work involved in the process.
“Things such as his BMI (Body Mass Index) – has he gained or lost weight as he has grown older? The appearance of his hair- has he become more bald or more grey as he has aged? So, maintaining an average BMI and what one would expect the average appearance of the hair of a man at his age were added to the new composite.”
Mr Morrison has previously recreated the faces of individuals in famous cold cases including Norway’s Isdal Woman and fugitives such as murderer Richard Bocklage.
An autopsy found signs of suicide by overdose as well as signs she was set on fire before she died.
Richard Bocklage is an American fugitive from Kansas City, Missouri.
He is suspected of murdering his ex-fiancée, Tanya Kopric, in 1980 after she broke up with him.
Morrison was commissioned to do that job by a criminologist and private detective working on the case.
Now, Mr Morrison believes Julian Chisholm can still be caught and brought to justice.
“I am convinced that Chisholm is still out there. He is an intelligent man, albeit he put his intelligence to bad purposes.
“He was very skilled in his profession as a North Sea diver, and he managed to make a lot of money from his criminal activities. I think that he will be out there somewhere and going by the type of person he is.”
Where is Mr X?
Thirty years on from Chisholm’s disappearance investigators, journalists, and authors continue the hunt for any trace of his whereabouts.
Those involved in the case speculate that Chisholm may have sought refuge in Morocco, that he joined the criminal underworld in Europe or met his end at the hands of South America’s Cali Cartel with whom he had been working.
Mr Morrison hopes that his new image could raise awareness across the globe and give the public and law enforcement a face to look out for.
Mr Morrison said: “Updated images of criminals are important so as to breath fresh life into cold cases where the person has remained unapprehended. The capture and conviction of these individuals brings a sense of justice to the victims and their families-and I also get a big kick out of trying to catch bad people.
“I hope that the authorities will look into this matter and take a serious look into Chisholm’s current whereabouts.”
Where can I listen to Hunting Mr X?
Hunting Mr X is the first season of Impact Podcasts, an investigative podcast from The Press and Journal.
The series is available on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music.
You can also listen to Impact Podcasts here on The Press and Journal website.