Mystery surrounds death of a young banker, gunned down on his own doorstep
Mystery still surrounds this banker’s death after he was gunned down at his front door by a man with a‘pocket pistol’ who had a turquoise envelope with ‘Paul’ written across the front
Someone out there knows why Alistair was killed
NEARLY 16 years ago, a young family man was shot dead on his own doorstep by a mystery attacker.
Alistair Wilson was a banker. He led a happy, but quietly normal, law-abiding life. The assassination baffled police. There was nothing in his past or present to suggest he deserved such an ending.
The 30-year-old had been reading his sons, aged two and four, a bedtime story when the killer rang the doorbell of the house in the pretty seaside town of Nairn.
His wife, Veronica, answered the door and was met by a man who muttered: “Alistair Wilson.”
His manner was not sinister and Veronica didn’t think anything of it when she went upstairs and told her husband about their visitor.
Ten minutes later, Alistair had two gunshot wounds to his head and one to his torso. He died an hour later in hospital.
The case has frustrated police officers and family members since that cold November night in 2004.
Nearly 14,000 people have been spoken to, 3500 statements taken and there have been door-to-door inquiries at more than 1000 addresses in the town – but no one has ever been arrested.
Detectives have seized more than 700 items to examine for any evidence and CCTV from 670 sources has been viewed. But nothing has led them to the killer. Or a motive.
The discovery of the gun, which had been dumped just around the corner from Alistair’s home in Crescent Road, has only perplexed detectives more.
It’s a 1920s Haenel Schmeisser semi-automatic, nicknamed a “pocket pistol”.
About 40,000 were made in Germany before World War II. Two similar guns turned up in Nairn in 2016 but they’re not linked to the inquiry. The fact the guns are rare and specialist gave police hope it would lead them to the elusive gunman but no identifiable DNA was discovered on the weapon.
It was another blow to the team set up in 2015 to re-investigate the murder but they remain hopeful more advanced testing may yield results.
Veronica gave police perhaps one of their biggest leads in the hunt. She told detectives Alistair had spoken with the man at the door for several minutes before he came back upstairs to the bedroom carrying a turquoise envelope.
She said her husband was bewildered by what the man had said to him and was perplexed as the envelope wasn’t addressed to him.
It had the name “Paul” on the front. But perhaps more strange was the fact that the envelope was empty.
What exactly Alistair told his wife during this conversation has never been revealed by either her or the police.
She said they discussed the situation calmly but there was no fear or apprehension from her husband, who went back downstairs.
A few moments later gunshots rang out. Alistair lay dying and the envelope was gone.
Who was Paul? Was Alistair killed in a case of mistaken identity? Was he under the hooks of organised crime at his bank?
He was a business banking manager but was due to leave for a new job with an environmental agency.
Police have never revealed any insight into Alistair’s financial affairs or his professional life.
A senior police source said:
“The most puzzling aspect of this murder is why the killer waited to shoot him?
“Doorstep shootings are usually immediate. It’s almost as if the killer didn’t want to pull the trigger but whatever he and Alistair spoke about forced his hand. I don’t believe this was a professional hit.”
The officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Graeme Mackie, has urged anyone with new information to come forward.
He said: “We continue to pursue several lines of inquiry, one of which is the turquoise-coloured envelope that was handed to Alistair by the person who attended at his front door. This envelope was the size that could fit a card and had the name ‘Paul’ on it. The envelope was empty and has never been recovered.
“As part of our ongoing investigation, we have to remain open-minded and will continue to review all possible scenarios. We also continue to review advances in forensic science which may assist the investigation.
“We continue to offer support to the family. This crime has left them devastated.”
He added: “The passage of time can lead to significant changes in people’s associations. Those who may have been reluctant to come forward with information years ago may be more willing to do so now.
“Someone out there knows why Alistair was killed and who was involved in his murder. I would appeal to them to come forward.”