Fatal hotel blaze probe still ongoing a year later
A LETTER from Scotland’s Lord Advocate to a Dumbarton MSP has confirmed the inquiry into a fatal fire at Cameron House is still going on – more than a year after the blaze.
In the letter to Jackie Baillie, the Lord Advocate explains that the investigations led by the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service into the fatal incident are continuing under the direction of the Senior Advocate Depute.
The letter reveals that inquiries into incidents of this nature tend to be quite lengthy, given the amount of detail needed.
It read: “A decision as to whether there should be a prosecution can be made only when the investigations are complete and final reports have been submitted by Police Scotland and others to the Crown. There are regular meetings between the various agencies involved; and the procurators fiscal assigned to this investigation maintain regular contact with Police Scotland.”
The Lord Advocate insisted Police Scotland family liaison officers are in constant contact with the families of Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson, who tragically lost their lives in the fire, and both have been offered meetings with the Senior Advocate Depute who is overseeing the investigation.
Ms Baillie said: “The Cameron House fire had a devastating impact on our own community, my thoughts have always been with the families of the two men who tragically lost their lives in the fatal incident.
“While I understand the frustration felt by everyone that there are no answers more than a year after the fire, I am also confident that the Police, Crown Office and all other agencies involved are doing everything that they can to ensure that the investigations are as thorough as possible.
“It is right that the victim’s families and our community can have our questions answered but I believe that it is right that the investigations are given the time and space that they need to find out what happened that day.
“I am grateful to the Police and Crown Office for ensuring that the victim’s families are kept updated with the enquiries.”