Caithness family to meet top officer over death of son
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A TOP Merseyside police officer is to meet with the family of Kevin McLeod, the young Wick man whose body was found in the town's harbour more than 22 years ago.
Merseyside Police is carrying out a major review into the death of 24-year-old Kevin and is keen to meet the family.
June and Hugh McLeod, Kevin's parents, and his uncle Allan McLeod have been told that arrangements are being made for Assistant Chief Constable Ian Critchley to meet the family in Inverness.
For more than two decades the McLeods have been fighting for justice for Kevin, who they believe was murdered because of the injuries on his body. But the police insist his death was the result of a tragic accident.
Police Scotland admitted the former Northern Constabulary failed to act on a instruction from the Wick procurator fiscal to treat the case as a potential murder case. An apology was issued to the family and now Merseyside Police is carrying out a review.
The deputy Crown agent and the head of the Criminal Allegations Against the Police Division met in Liverpool with Mr Critchley and two of his investigation team earlier this month to discuss the review. The meeting was described as "detailed and constructive".
It was agreed Mr Critchley should meet with the family and arrangements are being made for a meeting in the Highland capital.
Allan McLeod, speaking on behalf of the family, said: "Until we meet we can only speculate about what the remit of Merseyside Police will be. But we sincerely hope no obstacles or restrictions will be put in place and that Merseyside will have free access to all relevant documentation to the case, including that from the COPFS [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service] and all agencies involved to enable Merseyside Police to undertake a full and proper independent investigation."
Meanwhile, the McLeods have written to Susan Deacon, chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), to express their "anger and frustration" over the time it has taken to get an explanation about why Kevin's death was not investigated as a murder enquiry.
It is over 500 days since the Police Investigation Review Commissioner (PIRC) recommended the SPA issue "a satisfactory response" as to why the police failed to act on the procurator fiscal’s instruction.
The timescale set out by PIRC for policing bodies to implement its recommendations is 56 days. The recommendation was issued on May 23 last year.
In a letter to Ms Deacon, the McLeods say the delay in getting an answer is "offensive, disturbing and wholly disrespectful" and has caused them "unnecessary pain and anguish in our search for truth and justice".
They ask her to intervene personally to "ensure that a full and detailed satisfactory response be provided without further delay and that a personal apology also be given for the dismissive and unjustified manner in which the SPA has handled this absurd state of affairs".
