New police reports into Kevin Mcleod death will be considered by independent Crown counsel
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
New reports from Police Scotland are to be considered by independent Crown counsel and could lead to prosecutions in the case of Kevin Macleod, whose body was found in Wick harbour more than a quarter of a century ago.
The "unexpected twist" in the family's long-running quest for answers to what happened to the 24-year-old came following what was described as "constructive discussions" last week with the Lord Advocate – Scotland's senior law officer – and the Macleods over their concerns about how the case was handled by the police and the Crown.
Kevin died after a night out in the town in February 1997. His parents, Hugh and June Mcleod and his uncle Allan Mcleod, believe he was murdered because of the serious injuries on his body but the police claimed his death was 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, met with the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain, last Thursday in Edinburgh with police and Crown officials.
Afterwards, Allan Mcleod, speaking on behalf of the family, said: "We were encouraged to be informed that new reports from Police Scotland are to be considered by independent Crown Counsel leading to possible prosecutions, and that initial pathology findings, not considered previously, are to be sent for a detailed examination and report by an independent forensic pathologist.
"This, we believe, is a major development and brings us hope that the truth will finally be exposed as to what happened to Kevin that fateful night nearly 26 years ago in February, 1997."
Mr Mcleod said another meeting with senior prosecutors is scheduled to be held in Wick to discuss the outcomes of these further investigations by the police and the Crown.
He added: "This latest development in Kevin’s case was unexpected and a dramatic twist which leads the family to be optimistic that certain individuals will be subsequently interviewed by Police Scotland homicide officers".
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "Members of Kevin Mcleod’s family have met again with Lord Advocate, senior prosecutors and senior representatives of Merseyside Police and Police Scotland.
"They have had questions addressed and been updated on further investigations. Reports from Police Scotland have been received and will be considered by independent Crown counsel, who will issue instructions on next steps.
"The family have our sincere condolences for the loss they have suffered."
The meeting on January 5 – the second since the report was published – was to discuss "a catalogue of failings" by the police and Crown over the way they investigated Kevin's death. The Lord Advocate and Police Scotland’s Chief Constable Iain Livingstone had previously offered unreserved apologies to the family for these failures.
According to Mr Mcleod, the failure to investigate Kevin’s death as murder as instructed by the procurator fiscal in 1997 was "a core and irretrievable error" which has undermined every inquiry since, including the most recent Merseyside Police review.
