Family in protest at TV series on killer Manuel

A TELEVISION drama about notorious Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel should be scrapped, say some of the victims’ relatives.

Marion Watt, 45, was killed in her home with daughter Vivienne, 16, and sister Margaret Brown, 41, in September 1956. Their last surviving family members, Stuart and David Reid, have argued the upcoming threepart ITV series will “reopen old wounds”.

Stuart, 72, said: “My brother and I can understand the fascination with Manuel and the detective work done to convict him of the murders, but what ITV are forgetting is that they are dealing with real life here, real people’s lives.

“This is upsetting for us, as our father [Robert] lost two sisters and a niece that day and it affected him deeply.”

Robert’s sisters and niece were shot after Manuel broke into Margaret’s home in Burnside, Glasgow.

Stuart said: “All this series will do is open up old wounds. We want ITV to stop and think. There is no need to show this series of events on television. We feel we have to appeal to them in memory of our dad and of the other families of the victims.”

The series, entitled Muncie after the detective who cracked the case, stars Douglas Henshall, with Martin Compston as the killer and Gary Lewis as Marion’s husband William Watt.

World Productions said: “Muncie tells the true story of Detective William Muncie’s pursuit of Peter Manuel. It will not linger on Manuel’s terrible crimes, but will focus on the story of one man’s extraordinary efforts to bring a monster to justice.”

Manuel, Scotland’s first convicted serial killer, was hanged.