Police ‘committed’ to bringing killer to justice

POL ICE say t hey a re “f u l ly committed” to bringing the killer of Carnoustie man Tony English to justice “irrespective of the passage of time”.

The case remains open just over seven years after Mr English was found stabbed to death in his cottage in Kinloch Street on the morning of December 11 2011.

A full-scale police investigation was launched and dozens of officers took part in the operation to try to track down the killer. Forensic detectives were also called in, while officers spoke to hundreds of locals in a bid to uncover information about the death.

A “stab wound to the forearm” was the official cause recorded on Mr English’s death certificate.

Originally from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, Mr English had lived in Carnoustie for about 30 years.

He worked as a driller for an offshore firm in Aberdeen and, casually, as a golf caddie.

A man was charged but was freed by the Crown Office pending further inquiries.

A report on the death was submitted to the procurator fiscal in 2012 but nobody ever appeared in court charged with murder.

Police said new investigative opportunities “are regularly assessed to maximise the ability to deliver justice for grieving families, irrespective of the passage of time”.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: “I think it’s very important that any family waiting for justice never give up hope.

“There are great strides made every year in forensic procedure and laboratory analysis. Every crime has a witness, whether it’s a person or a scrap of DNA.”