PAPER CHASE
Private detective claims blue envelope holds key to notorious unsolved murder
Craig McDonald The ex-detective carrying out his own probe into one of Scotland’s most notorious unsolved murders has called for police to release more details of the case.
Former Scotland Yard officer Peter Bleksley has been quizzing potential witnesses about the killing of banker Alistair Wilson, who was shot dead on the doorstep of his home in Nairn in 2004.
Bleksley claimed last week he had uncovered new information which he believed could be vital in helping identify Alistair’s killer.
Days later, police released details of a blue greetings cardstyle envelope given to Alistair’s wife Veronica when she answered the door on the night of the murder and confirmed the name “Paul” was written on it.
Dad-of-two Alistair was shot when he handed the envelope back empty.
Bleksley – who is probing Ali stair’ s death for a book – said police should release more details about the envelope’s origins. He said: “It’s got to be a possible theory that it was suggested Alistair should put something in the envelope for Paul. The obvious questions are, ‘ Who is Paul and where is the greetings card that was in that envelope? Was the card sold with it? Was it sitting in someone’s drawer? Where was the card or envelope bought? How many manufacturers of those envelopes are there in the UK and who do they supply to?’”
Bleksley believes the assassin originally intended to negotiate with Alistair. It’s believed the gunman may have demanded cash.
He added: “In the past few weeks, police have been making a lot of inquiries. There appears to be renewed interest from police. I hope they’re making headway.”
Alistair worked as a business banking manager with the Bank of Scotland in Inverness.
Veronica has said answers over his death would allow her family to move on from this “dark shadow”.
Det Supt Gary Cunningham said: “We continue to investigate several lines of inquiry and, following our recent media appeal, we received several calls from the public.
“This crime has left a family devastated and we are committed to finding the answers for them and bringing the offender to justice.”