UK UK - Alistair Wilson, 30, murdered at home, Nairn, Scotland, 28 Nov 2004

[dotr]

I have followed this case with interest in the press/t.v. mainly because I have family living in that part of Scotland and having fallen over this excellent forum whilst googling it. I thought I might as well add my 3 ha'pence worth.
If the points i have raised have been answered then please bear with me.
1. I know the gun's chief feature is its smallness but if you look at the gun in the video and the drain as shown in the Daily Mail account its difficult to believe it could have been pushed down the drain slots. Local Highway Authorities use these cleaning machines regularly and not just for drains and I always thought they worked by simply sucking up the debris into the tank and later emptying it at the end of the day. If so when was the gun recovered, before it went into the tank or later? Is there an opportunity here for the gun to have been sucked up at an earlier location/usage? Thnks

Welcome to Ws kevin_k, glad you found us, interesting points regarding the drain!

 

[Savemecastiel]

Following

 

[dotr]

Nov 15th 2020
Appeal for information on doorstep murder of banker 16 years ago WON'T make the killer come forward | Daily Mail Online
''The killer who shot dead a banker on the doorstep of his family home will not come forward following an emotional appeal from the victim's son because he is 'likely a member of an organised crime network', a criminologist has claimed.''

''His son Andrew, who was just four at the time, last month delivered an emotional appeal for information ahead of the 16th anniversary of the killing, saying his only memory of his late father is seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood.

But David Wilson, emeritus professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, told the BBC's The Doorstep Podcast such an appeal was unlikely to have had any effect on the man responsible for Alistair's death.''

 

[kevin_k]

Further to my first contribution -
AW went to University to pursue his chosen career in banking. One of the accounts (cant remember where but) it refers to him wanting to go into banking as a child.

He now has a wife, 2 children, a hefty mortgage, a failed restaurent/boarding house and he has decided to throw it all up to work for an established company with a substantial pay cut and possbily limited opportunities for advancement.

I do not know the present circumstances of banking but for a number of years I was friendly with a bank manager who took great enjoyment in telling me that whilst he remained so he was entitled to a hefty discount on his monthly re-payments. AW was clearly happy living in Nairn so why did he tender his resignation? What was he trying to get away from? I have never seen or heard an adequate explanation for this!

Again I cannot remember where but reference has been made to his fellow employees at the bank being extreemly tight-lipped which is suprising in a small town atmosphere which reinforces my belief that this is connected however indirectly with his job.

As my first message I will leave it there for your thoughts. Thks.

 

[Taskforce88]

From May 2019:

Was £20billion HBoS scandal behind assassination of banker on his doorstep? Whistleblower claims staff 'would have gone to the ultimate degree' to cover-up controversy

Could £20bn scandal have been behind assassination of banker on his doorstep? | Daily Mail Online

Paul Moore was sacked in 2004 after raising the alarm over a loans strategy that would finally overwhelm bank giant HBoS, leading to a £20.5billion taxpayer bailout.

 

[kevin_k]

My gut feeling is that this was not a professional hit in the sense of AW having knowledge that had to be silenced. For reasons well discussed already the actual firing of the gun was just too spontaneous. However, I can well imagine that a lot of innocent people got caught up the financial crisis caused by the HBoS scandal who may have had their financial (and by extension personal) lives blighted. Looking at AW - living in a large house in comparative comfort, someone brooding over their own misfortune could easily transfer the malice to AW.

 

[Markybug]

I have followed this case with interest in the press/t.v. mainly because I have family living in that part of Scotland and having fallen over this excellent forum whilst googling it. I thought I might as well add my 3 ha'pence worth.
If the points i have raised have been answered then please bear with me.
1. I know the gun's chief feature is its smallness but if you look at the gun in the video and the drain as shown in the Daily Mail account its difficult to believe it could have been pushed down the drain slots. Local Highway Authorities use these cleaning machines regularly and not just for drains and I always thought they worked by simply sucking up the debris into the tank and later emptying it at the end of the day. If so when was the gun recovered, before it went into the tank or later? Is there an opportunity here for the gun to have been sucked up at an earlier location/usage? Thnks

this bit is from this article

The day I found the gun that killed Alistair Wilson | Press and Journal


“ It was pure luck we cleaned them out when we did, and it was pure luck the gun wasn’t sucked right up the pump. It would have never been found again.“

 

[kevin_k]

this bit is from this article

The day I found the gun that killed Alistair Wilson | Press and Journal


“ It was pure luck we cleaned them out when we did, and it was pure luck the gun wasn’t sucked right up the pump. It would have never been found again.“

This is an excellent response to the point that I raised. I am indebted to markybug for it. - Kevin

 

[dotr]

From 2018
C4's Hunted chief claims Livingston FC 'linked with murder' of Highlands banker
''Now The Scotsman reports that a former cop looking at the case says Alistair's murder could be linked to his work at the bank and its involvement in the finances of Livi.

According to the club's history on its official website, in February 2004, the Bank of Scotland forced the club into administration with debts of £7.2m – hours after a League Cup semi final victory over Dundee.

As a result, players and staff were made redundant as the administrator took over the club.''

''A consortium bought the club out of administration shortly after their win over Hibs in the League Cup Final in March 2004.

Mr Bleksley said: “If Alistair’s murder was connected in any way to the finances of Livingston then clearly that would involve financial investigations.''

Nov 5 2020
Listen to The Doorstep Murder Podcast
''A behind the scenes look at the investigation into the Alistair Wilson murder, one of Scotland’s most baffling unsolved cases. Presented by Fiona Walker.''

 

[elframo]

Is this an update to the podcast from earlier this year?

 

[Littlegreenlady]

Is this an update to the podcast from earlier this year?

I've just had a look and yes, they released a new episode on 4th November interviewing the son

 

[dotr]

11/5/20 rbbm.
Appeal for information on doorstep murder of banker 16 years ago WON'T make the killer come forward
''His son Andrew, who was just four at the time, last month delivered an emotional appeal for information ahead of the 16th anniversary of the killing, saying his only memory of his late father is seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood.

But David Wilson, emeritus professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, told the BBC's The Doorstep Podcast such an appeal was unlikely to have had any effect on the man responsible for Alistair's death.''

''He said: 'The appeal that Andrew Wilson gave was incredibly emotional, so that will appeal to certain types of people watching. In my view, the emotion won't appeal at all to the likely suspect from within what I think will be an organised crime network that this killer will have emerged from. They're simply not going to respond to whether it was emotional or cold and calculating as an appeal.' ''

Oct 12 2020

 

[Joyalice]

Where was the cctv supposed to be, I know it wasn't on but where was it located I wonder

 

[dotr]

Where was the cctv supposed to be, I know it wasn't on but where was it located I wonder

rbbm.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | CCTV fault on Nairn murder street
''A CCTV camera overlooking the street in which bank manager Alistair Wilson was killed has been found to be faulty.

Mr Wilson, 30, was shot dead on the doorstep of his home in Nairn near Inverness last November.

Detectives revealed that the CCTV camera on the wall of Nairn's Free Church failed to record properly on the night of the murder.

The company which provides the system has agreed to change the recording software used at 12 camera sites.''

Alistair Wilson case: CCTV mystery | Press and Journal
''There were three CCTV cameras in the immediate area of the Wilson home – one outside the Havelock Hotel, almost opposite the house, and another on the wall of a housing complex in Marine Road.
The third was mounted high on the wall of the Free Church in Academy Street, which faces Crescent Road.
At the time, the town’s CCTV system had undergone recent improvements as part of a £200,000 upgrade to the Highlands’ security network.

But that was not the only technical failure that night.

The 999 call made by Mrs Wilson at 7.11pm was also lost because the ambulance service’s digital system – designed to record all calls – crashed.

The fault happened at 7pm, just minutes before the killing, and the system was out of action for four hours.''

 

[naomiuk]

rbbm.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | CCTV fault on Nairn murder street
''A CCTV camera overlooking the street in which bank manager Alistair Wilson was killed has been found to be faulty.

Mr Wilson, 30, was shot dead on the
''There were three CCTV cameras in the immediate area of the Wilson home – one outside the Havelock Hotel, almost opposite the house, and another on the wall of a housing complex in Marine Road.
The third was mounted high on the wall of the Free Church in Academy Street, which faces Crescent Road.
At the time, the town’s CCTV system had undergone recent improvements as part of a £200,000 upgrade to the Highlands’ security network.

But that was not the only technical failure that night.

The 999 call made by Mrs Wilson at 7.11pm was also lost because the ambulance service’s digital system – designed to record all calls – crashed.

The fault happened at 7pm, just minutes before the killing, and the system was out of action for four hours.''

That almost seems to lucky for the killer but I can’t imagine it would be easy to take both systems offline. MOO

 

[Joyalice]

That almost seems to lucky for the killer but I can’t imagine it would be easy to take both systems offline. MOO

I think the one on the pub which would have shown everything on the doorstep was controlled by the public house and therefore possibly switched off ?

 

[Joyalice]

rbbm.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | CCTV fault on Nairn murder street
''A CCTV camera overlooking the street in which bank manager Alistair Wilson was killed has been found to be faulty.

Mr Wilson, 30, was shot dead on the doorstep of his home in Nairn near Inverness last November.

Detectives revealed that the CCTV camera on the wall of Nairn's Free Church failed to record properly on the night of the murder.

The company which provides the system has agreed to change the recording software used at 12 camera sites.''

Alistair Wilson case: CCTV mystery | Press and Journal
''There were three CCTV cameras in the immediate area of the Wilson home – one outside the Havelock Hotel, almost opposite the house, and another on the wall of a housing complex in Marine Road.
The third was mounted high on the wall of the Free Church in Academy Street, which faces Crescent Road.
At the time, the town’s CCTV system had undergone recent improvements as part of a £200,000 upgrade to the Highlands’ security network.

But that was not the only technical failure that night.

The 999 call made by Mrs Wilson at 7.11pm was also lost because the ambulance service’s digital system – designed to record all calls – crashed.

The fault happened at 7pm, just minutes before the killing, and the system was out of action for four hours.''

Thank you for that info I thought the pub would be the obvious one to detect the doorstep activity

 

[Joyalice]

My personal view is the killer dumped the weapon on the evening. The location where it was dumped is interesting. The killer wanted to get to the A96 (and in my view then headed off probably in the direction of Inverness) - and the map gives some insight.

The killer (again my view) left Crescent Road, then onto Marine Road and turned left. To get to the A96 they had several options. There are three streets closer to the scene they could have used, and one street slightly further up. There was also the option of 'taking the back road" (altonburn Road) - they did not do this, as it becomes single track and although rural, it would be easy to be (potentially) stopped or noticed. Although Seabank Rd is not the furthest road (in town) from the scene allowing access to the A96, it is - if you look at the map, the "most direct" (Marine Rd, Seafield Rd, Seabank Rd) - to go to Manse Rd (next down) would waste a little more time, while any of the nearer streets are just a bit too close (also to the Police Station). The drain is just before the traffic lights - where cars regularly stop - conveniently just before getting to the main road.
Keeping in mind the killer could have dumped the gun elsewhere (ie drains on the way) - not gardens - I think this was a planned location and the killer had the 'escape route' planned. While there's pictures of the Police searching the beach (a seemingly obvious place the killer might throw the weapon - perhaps into the sea) I don't know how extensively they searched the drains/gardens in Nairn. Possibly they did to a point - and Seabank Rd is "close" but not "too close" to the scene.

I think he had an accomplice waiting in the car and then as passenger stopped to put gun in drain knowing where they were going to dump it possibly

 

[Ironside]

I think he had an accomplice waiting in the car and then as passenger stopped to put gun in drain knowing where they were going to dump it possibly

The killer could have been a female.

 

[Markybug]

With cctv a local would not risk walking the streets to the victims house and shooting him on camera ? Points to someone out with Nairn ??