New police and pathology reports could give Wick man Kevin McLeod 'the justice he rightly deserves', says uncle
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New police and pathology reports could give Kevin McLeod, whose body was found in Wick harbour 26 years ago, "the justice he rightly deserves".
That is the hope of his parents, Hugh and June McLeod, and his uncle, Allan McLeod, who believe the 24-year-old was murdered after a night out in the town in February 1997. The police claim Kevin's death was the result of a tragic accident.
A report last year into the case by Merseyside Police concluded it was "highly unlikely" Kevin was murdered and said he drowned after a fall. The officers, who spent months re-examining the case, found no evidence of any criminality.
However, the family "totally reject the findings" and stressed the then procurator fiscal at Wick instructed the police to investigate the death as a murder inquiry.
The McLeods, along with their legal representative, have met with the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain as well as police and Crown officials to discuss their concerns.
Allan Macleod, speaking on behalf of the family, said: "We and our legal representative are to hold another [third] top-level meeting with senior Crown officials very soon to discuss reports recently submitted by Police Scotland plus new pathology reports regarding injuries that Kevin had sustained, injuries which bizarrely had not been considered previously. These injuries were described by Professor Charles Deakin, a medical expert witness contacted by Merseyside Police, as 'potentially significant in this case'."
Mr McLeod pointed out that in January the Lord Advocate instructed a review of the pathology evidence to be examined by an independent forensic pathologist.
"We are optimistic that these new police investigations and pathology report, which was an unexpected twist in this case, will finally prove that Kevin's death was no accident and that Kevin was, we believe, viciously attacked and assaulted prior to drowning.
"The late procurator fiscal Alasdair MacDonald informed the family in his 2007 letter that on Monday, February 10, 1997, he had instructed police to investigate Kevin’s death as a 'potential murder inquiry' after being informed by the pathologist that Kevin's injuries were 'possibly consistent with a kicking received several hours prior to death'."
Mr McLeod said the Crown and several senior police officers denied the instruction was given, although the fiscal confirmed his actions in the 2002 inquiry into the young electrician's death.
In December 2017, Police Scotland’s then deputy chief constable Iain Livingstone met with the family in Wick and admitted Mr MacDonald had issued the murder inquiry instruction to police and that Northern Constabulary had failed to act on it.
A similar statement was made last year by the assistant chief constable, John Hawkins, Mr McLeod stated.
"We firmly suspect that the true circumstances of Kevin’s death were covered-up by those in authority, who were then collectively complicit in an attempt to protect someone or something."
He added: "We have been fighting for the truth longer than Kevin had been alive. We pray that these fresh reports will finally give Kevin the justice he rightly deserves."
