Suzanne’s killer fights sale of car
A KILLER is trying to block police plans to auction off the car he allegedly used to dispose of his lover’s body.
David Gilroy, 52, was jailed for life in 2012 for murdering his former colleague, Suzanne Pilley, 38, who vanished in Edinburgh in May 2010.
The book keeper’s body has never been found and there was no DNA or forensic evidence linking Gilroy to the crime.
At his trial, prosecutors alleged he had dumped her body somewhere in Argyll, highlighting that he had taken an unnecessary trip, using an unusual route, while damage to his silver Vauxhall Vectra suggested he had driven it off the road. A specialist cadaver dog also reacted when sniffing the boot of the vehicle, the jury was told. The Court of Appeal in Edinburgh rejected his case in December 2012 and the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission snubbed a miscarriage of justice claim this year.
Police Scotland has now written to Gilroy in Perth Prison, where he is serving 18 years, to tell him that if he does not wish to collect the Vectra it will be disposed of by October 3. Any sale proceeds will go to the single force.
But Gilroy, formerly of Silverknowes, Edinburgh, has written to the firm holding the car, 911 Recovery, arguing that under Crown Office rules all evidence used in his trial must be kept for the duration of his sentence. His family believes the car could help prove his innocence.
In a letter to Chief Constable Philip Gormley, who is on special leave amid allegations of misconduct, Gilroy wrote: ‘I am extremely concerned that this key item of evidence... is being considered for disposal. I continue to state my innocence and will be continuing to take steps towards establishing this.’
To retrieve the car, Gilroy would have to pay more than £1,000 in storage fees – but doing so is likely to render it unusable as evidence.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service declined to comment on his complaints. They confirmed they triggered the release of the car after the failed appeal and review.