Police launch new investigation into ‘murder’ 22yrs on
A FAMILY who fear their son was murdered 22 years ago yesterday described the announcement of an independent probe into his death as ‘a bolt from the blue’.
Police Scotland said it had asked Merseyside Police to review the bungled investigation into the death of Kevin McLeod, 24.
He was pulled from Wick Harbour in Caithness on February 9, 1997, after a night out with friends.
Police said at the time they believed the death was ‘accidental’.
However, his distraught family are convinced that he was murdered.
Mr McLeod’s parents, Hugh and June, have accused the police and the Crown Office of being involved in a ‘cover-up’.
Police Scotland’s Assistant Chief Constable Gillian MacDonald yesterday confirmed the review of the case and said the force must now do ‘everything it possibly can’ to get answers for his family.
Kevin’s uncle Allan McLeod said: ‘The family is absolutely delighted. This was a bolt from the blue.
‘We’re only hoping now, with the family having no trust in Police Scotland, we can put our trust in Merseyside Police.
‘This has exhausted the family mentally, physically and emotionally for 22 years. It’s been nothing but lies, deceit and cover-ups from the police.’
Mr McLeod added: ‘We hope that at the end of this investigation police officers, either serving or retired, will be held accountable for their gross dereliction of duty. And more so, we hope that those who murdered Kevin will be arrested and brought to justice.’
Senior officials from Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service met with the family of Mr McLeod yesterday to inform them of the decision.
It follows consultation between the Lord Advocate and Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, who has requested that Merseyside Police carry out a ‘detailed review of the case under the direction of the Crown’.
The initial investigation into Mr McLeod’s death in 1997 by what was then Northern Constabulary will be examined, along with all further inquiries carried out by Police Scotland.
The decision follows Police Scotland’s ‘unreserved apology’ to his parents in 2017 over the botched initial investigation.
His family believed he had been murdered and repeatedly criticised Northern Constabulary for its handling of the case.
Concerns were raised about a failure to keep and submit Mr McLeod’s clothing, and not acknowledging marks discovered on his body at an early stage of the inquiry.
It was later ruled that he had drowned after suffering internal injuries.
A subsequent review by the Police Complaints Commissioner said the police force behaved with ‘institutional arrogance’ in the way it handled complaints from Mr McLeod’s parents.
Miss MacDonald said: ‘We fully accept that an instruction was indeed given by the then procurator fiscal to treat Kevin’s death as a murder and to investigate it accordingly, which Northern Constabulary at that time failed to do.’
‘No trust in Police Scotland’