EXCLUSIVE | LISTEN: Wick harbour death re-examination facts
MFR News coverage of Kevin McLeod's death goes national again.
Last updated 2nd Feb 2018
MFR News has exclusively revealed what went on in a meeting between Scotland's murder squad and a grieving Highland family last week.
Kevin McLeod's loved ones were told that the re-examination of evidence, gathered after the 24-year-old's unexplained death in Wick - will not lead to a murder inquiry being launched.
His body was recovered from the town's harbour 20-years-ago, and despite Northern Constabulary being told by the Procurator Fiscal at the time, to treat the incident as a potential murder inquiry, and "give it the full works," the legacy force dismissed the loss of Kevin as nothing more than an accident, although a Fatal Accident Inquiry later recorded an open verdict.
In January mum June confronted Chief Constable Phil Gormley live on the national music and conversation radio programme, Scotland's Talk In, and challenged him to "right the wrong" of Northern Constabulary.
Top Scots cops were then ordered to look again at the information gathered about Kevin's death, to decide whether Police Scotland could do any more to help the family get answers, following their 20-year-long campaign pushing for a murder inquiry.
Earlier our reporter Bryan Rutherford was on the show live from our Inverness studios, giving our audience this exclusive update (if you live in Highland, Moray, or Aberdeenshire, then you would have heard it on MFR2)...
Presenter Ally Bally asked the Inverness-based journalist: "So is Police Scotland's view that Kevin was not murdered, and instead died from an accident - perhaps a fall?"
Bryan replied: "These detectives don't have a view as such...they're trained to recognise signs of criminality, and they've told the family they can't find any.
"They did also warn the family that they're aware of people making things up, telling the McLeod's what seem like facts, but which are actually false.
"And it's also true that two-people have, in the past, been charged with wasting police time."
Back in January after mum June hung up the phone to Scotland's Talk In, the very next day the police chief ordered a team to get started on the promised re-examination.
It was never to be a re-investigation though, because Kevin's death is not strictly a cold case, so the six detectives were not expected to do any more other than to take another look at the existing evidence, which mostly included witness statements.
Bryan exclusively revealed to the show that there had been some exciting developments: "What we now know is that five-people who had not come forward around the time of Kevin's death have recently been interviewed.
"I understand that two of those got in touch with Police Scotland as a result of our radio broadcast, so that's the first time in so many years that there has been any fresh investigative work.
"And the detectives travelling from the central belt to the far North on various occasions also took a further two-statements from Kevin's best friend, and I believe that a taxi driver was spoken to again as well.
"But the Major Crime unit's boss has recommended to the Chief Constable that the case does not need to be re-investigated.
"DCS Blair told the family that even with these new witnesses, and considering the others' statements from the time, no one saw how Kevin landed up in the water, and no one's recollections included any evidence that his severe abdominal injuries were the result of any attack."
What do we know about the top Scots murder cop?
Gareth Blair, who is a Detective Chief Superintendent, is the man in-charge of Police Scotland’s Major Crime unit.
He went to the family meeting with Mark Bell who’s a Detective Chief Inspector with the day-to-day job of reviewing old and new homicides.
Between them they’ve lead or reviewed more than 100-murder inquiries and different types of major crime.
Neither of them have ever had anything to do with Northern Constabulary and before they worked for the national police force, Gareth Blair was with the former Lothian and Borders force, and Mark Bell was with Strathclyde.
Those were the first points made at the meeting, in recognition of the family’s mistrust of the police, caused by Northern Constabulary’s previous handling of Kevin’s death.
"DCS Blair admitted that the initial investigation was flawed, and fell below the standard that he would have expected" MFR NEWS REPORTER BRYAN RUTHERFORD
Bryan added: "They wanted to distance themselves from an organisation they accepted let the family down, and during the meeting, DCS Blair admitted that the initial investigation was flawed, and fell below the standard that he would have expected - he went as far as saying if he could go back in time and lead the probe, then he would welcome that opportunity."
After a fair bit of talking over one another, raised voices, and at least once the threat of someone leaving the room in anger, DCS Blair then drew the meeting to a close.
The McLeod family are planning to speak to their lawyer, because they don't believe they're out of options yet, and they've insisted they could go another 20-years of "fighting for justice" as long as they're still alive then.
WATCH: On Wednesday MFR News broke news of the outcome of the re-examination into Kevin's death...