Do a football club’s f inances hold key to banker’s murder?
Doorstep killing ‘linked to Livingston FC’ – author
THE unsolved murder of a banker 14 years ago could be linked to the finances of a Premiership football club, a former detective has claimed.
Peter Bleksley believes Alistair Wilson may have been killed as a result of his possible involvement with Livingston FC.
In February 2004, the Bank of Scotland forced the club into administration with debts of £7.2million – only weeks before the side won the CIS Cup Final.
Mr Bleksley, 58, said the killer could have been someone who was aggrieved at losing money, or there could have been organised crime involvement.
Mr Wilson, a Bank of Scotland business banking manager, was shot three times at his home in Nairn on November 28, 2004 – a few months after the club went into administration.
The 30-year-old had been handed a bright blue envelope with the name ‘Paul’ on it shortly beforehand.
The father of two’s wife, Veronica, who answered the door that night, is the only other person who saw the gunman.
The small 70-year-old firearm used was found ten days later by workmen cleaning drains in the town.
Mr Bleksley – who retired from the Metropolitan Police in London in 1999, after 21 years – said his information came from a ‘relia- ble source’. He added: ‘I did pass it on to the police because I thought it would involve complex financial investigations.
‘I followed up four months later and they refused to answer my questions.’
Mr Bleksley, who appears as the Chief on Channel 4’s Hunted, said: ‘The Bank of Scotland was the main creditor, they were owed millions. But £2million was owed to other creditors and a lot of people stood to lose a lot of money.
‘Mr Wilson worked in the specialist lending department in Edinburgh before being posted to Inverness. Did he [Mr Wilson] have any involvement with Livingston?
‘The bank and Mr Wilson’s widow wouldn’t answer my questions. The source said this information was well-known among lawyers in the Central Belt and the reason nobody would come forward was that they didn’t want an assassin at their front door.’
Mr Bleksley – whose book on the case, To Catch A Killer - My Hunt for the Truth Behind the Doorstep Murder, was published yesterday – also said he had received a ‘glut of new information’ from the public after appearing on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show on Wednesday.
Last night, Detective Superintendent Graeme Mackie said: ‘The investigation into the murder of Alistair Wilson is active. We continue to review several possible motives around his death and will investigate any new information we receive.
‘As this is an ongoing, active investigation we are unable to comment on speculation. ‘Officers have met and corresponded with Mr Bleksley when he was invited to share any new information with us. To date, he has declined to do so.’ A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: ‘We assisted the police during their original investigation and will assist with all further inquiries.’
Livingston FC said no one involved in the running of the club in 2004 was still with it.
Last year, top criminologist Professor David Wilson claimed the murder case was ‘eminently solvable’ after he received a dossier from an anonymous sender.
It suggested Mr Wilson was likely killed by someone working for an underworld figure.
‘Stood to lose a lot of money’