EXCLUSIVE | WATCH: Top Scots cops re-examine Wick death
Major Investigation unit looks into Kevin McLeod case
Last updated 2nd Feb 2018
MFR News can exclusively reveal that Police Scotland's Major Crime unit is re-examining existing evidence gathered in 1997 when Kevin McLeod was found dead in Wick Harbour.
Kevin's body was discovered almost 20-years-ago, after the engaged electrician drowned.
He had previously suffered severe internal injuries to his abdomen.
The police originally believed that Kevin died after tripping and falling onto a bollard - causing those injuries - but a Fatal Accident Inquiry ended with an open verdict.
According to the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem, in a letter to the family written in August 2008, Dr Rosslyn Rankin - who has since retired from NHS Highland - wrote: "Prior to commencing the post-mortem I received a police report describing the circumstances of Kevin's death...I do not recall any references to an assault having taken place. My recall is that there was mention of an argument or similar, i.e. a verbal exchange only.
"I would have assumed that having reported to the Procurator Fiscal, the post-mortem finding of an internal injury to the abdomen, that the death would have been further investigated as a "suspicious death" at least until a satisfactory accidental explanation for the abdominal injury had been established and no evidence of an assault found."
"I would have assumed that having reported to the Procurator Fiscal, the post-mortem finding of an internal injury to the abdomen, that the death would have been further investigated as a "suspicious death" DR RANKIN, PATHOLOGIST
The McLeod's believe their son was murdered, and over the next two-decades father Hugh and mum June have written over 300-letters to Northern Constabulary and Police Scotland, urging the forces to re-investigate their son's death as a murder inquiry.
Northern Constabulary were quick to treat the 24-year-old's death as accidental, but signs he may have been murdered appear to have been ignored, and, in fact, officers failed to carry out a murder inquiry, even though the Procurator Fiscal (PF) at the time, who has since died, claimed he told them to.
In a letter from Procurator Fiscal Alasdair MacDonald to the McLeod's dated March 2007 he wrote: "On 10 February 1997 I was in court but received a message that Dr Rankin the pathologist required to contact me urgently. I spoke with her during an adjournment of the court about the middle of that day and she informed me that the preliminary findings at post mortem revealed that the deceased had a "burst liver and internal bleeding, possibly consistent with a kicking received several hours before death"...I also informed Detective Sergeant Martin that this was now potentially a murder enquiry and should be treated as such, the phrase which I think I used was "the full works".
Northern Constabulary has always claimed it has no record of any instruction to its officers for them to launch a murder inquiry.
"I also informed Detective Sergeant Martin that this was now potentially a murder enquiry and should be treated as such, the phrase which I think I used was "the full works" ALASDAIR MACDONALD, PROCURATOR FISCAL
Last month mum June McLeod confronted Scotland's top cop on the national radio show Scotland's Talk In, which you can hear every Sunday on MFR2.
She told Chief Constable Phil Gormley: "I want you Mr Gormley to tell me why your new police force is refusing to right that wrong and carry out a new investigation?"
And he replied: "Well June, I'm very sorry to hear that...It's not something I can really go into detail on-air, and I'm sure that you'll appreciate that. We constantly keep under review unresolved cases. I'm quite happy off-air to examine the circumstances that you've referred to."
LISTEN: MFR News reader John Callan brings you the 1PM bulletin on MFR 2, featuring a special report from our MFR News reporter Bryan Rutherford...
Since then Kevin's parents have had regular, and direct contact with the police chief who has instructed his Major Crime unit to re-examine the existing evidence from Northern Constabulary's original investigation, which the family claim was "botched."
MFR News understands that top detectives are carrying out 'further investigative work' in Caithness as part of the re-examination.
Our reporter Bryan Rutherford, who has been keeping in regular contact with the family - visiting them at their home in Wick just yesterday - added: "What's happening at the moment is not a re-investigation, and it's not an official review either, because Kevin's death is not strictly a cold case.
"For this to become a murder inquiry, new information - something not previously known - or new evidence - something not previously gathered - would have to be found by the police who would take those findings to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which would then order a new investigation, if it's considered appropriate."
"But all that Police Scotland is currently doing is taking a look at the evidence gathered by the legacy police force - work the national force inherited when it was set up.
"What is significant though, is that along with the re-examination of the case's documents, there is fresh police activity in Wick, with detectives said to be carrying out 'further investigative work.'
"And bearing in mind that June, Hugh, and the rest of the family have been campaigning for almost two-decades for renewed police attention to Kevin's death, a single phone call to Scotland's Talk In has achieved more for the grieving family than those many years of fighting the system."
Although it remains unclear what this re-examination will lead to, what MFR News can report is that the McLeod's have been promised a sit-down with the man in-charge of the Major Crime unit - a Detective Chief Superintendent - once the police 'enquiries' are finished.
An update is expected at the end of this month.
The 20th anniversary of Kevin McLeod's death is next week, on Thursday, February 9th.