‘Banker’s killer a pro who may never be found’

Fans’ views: What did Neale Cooper mean to you?

“I’m here to pay my respects to an Aberdeen legend for everything he’s done for the club. What he’s done for the Aberdeen is unreal and can’t be measured. I wasn’t born during the 80s but I’ve seen all the highlights – he was a fantastic player. Throughout the club and the community, it’s just one big family, he’s made such a difference.”

Martin Alexander Harrison, 28, meat operator “I’m here to lay something down for Neale Cooper, a little teddy bear and one of my football scarfs. I was only four in 1983, but I was here to see them come home with the club.

I do remember being down the Stonehaven road and seeing the team come off the small bus and onto the open top bus. A legend.”

Susan Cassie, 39, renovations manager “Absolute legend, a real Gothenburg Great. I have a lot of fond memories of Tattie Cooper, lucky enough to see him in the flesh and see him play a number of times. He was Aberdeen through and through. He put on the red shirt and gave all. He would run through brick walls for the cause. You can see by the messages here he was very fondly thought of.” Ewan Duffy, 47, public sector worker “He galvanised a city – he was a legend. He came and supported the club, he played with his heart and emphasised what Aberdeen meant to him – a will to win.

It’s a really sad day. When I heard the news it was tragic.

I brought myself down here to pay my respects.”

Steve Christie, 53, account manager, Langstane Press, Aberdeen A leading criminologist believes a gunman who killed a Scots banker on his doorstep more than 13 years ago was “an assassin” who may never be caught.

Alistair Wilson, a Bank of Scotland business banking manager, was shot three times at his home in Nairn at around 7pm on Sunday November 28 2004.

“No one would ever think about being killed on their doorstep”

The 30-year-old fatherof-two was handed a bright blue envelope with the name “Paul” on it.

He took it to his wife, Veronica, before returning to the door, where he was shot dead moments later.

No motive has ever been established and the killer has never been caught.

Dr Mohammed Rahman, lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University, who has analysed the case, said he believes the gunman was a professional. He likened the unsolved case to that of TV presenter Jill Dando, who was also killed on her doorstep, in Fulham, London, five years earlier.

He said: “I believe that this case has all the hallmarks of a professional assassination by a master hit man – a competent individual who killed with precision and accuracy.

“From what we know, the hit man left no forensic evidence scene.

“To do so in an open environment over which he had limited control demonstrates advanced awareness of forensics.

“People have said, ‘If this guy is a professional assassin, why would he kill his target at the door?’ Well, a killing at the doorstep of the target is one of the hallmarks of a master hit man.

“No one would ever think about being killed on their own doorstep.

“It’s a place of security, which means that the house owner’s guard is down, so at the crime they are vulnerable. We saw this in the case of Jill Dando.”

Dr Rahman said he believes the envelope given to Mr Wilson was symbolic, and the name Paul was intended to be circulated in the media.

He said: “Whoever commissioned the hit knew that the envelope would be mentioned in the media and therefore used to send a message to any wider connections to Alistair’s case.

“In this case I would strongly think that the person that commissioned the hit will never be found.”

Bank of Scotland executive Alistair Wilson was shot dead at his front door in Nairn in 2004