highlands fiscal gives response to accusations made against officers by man’s family
No evidence of police breaking law in probe into Wick death
Published:
Highlands and Islands area fiscal Andrew Laing has found no evidence police officers broke the law in their investigation of the unexplained death of a young Wick man.
Relatives of Kevin McLeod claim a series of blunders and procedural anomalies are so serious as to amount to a prima facie case of a perversion of the course of justice.
Mr Laing has found no evidence of criminal conduct in the inquiry after the 24-year-old’s body was recovered from Wick harbour in February 1997.
Mr Laing has referred the file to Northern Constabulary for their consideration on whether or not any disciplinary proceedings are warranted.
The dead man’s parents, June and Hugh McLeod, and his uncle, Allan McLeod, cited four issues which they claimed should result in officers facing criminal charges.
They refer to conflicting versions over what became of Kevin’s clothing, and claim police inexplicably failed to check out their now discredited theory that Kevin had fallen against lobster creels on a boat on his way into the water.
The family also accuse police of failing to act on information that someone they suspect to have been involved in Kevin’s death was on home leave from prison on the weekend of the death.
They further maintain the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination was not told by police that Kevin had been the victim of an assault.
They are certain the major abdominal injuries shown up in the post mortem were caused by a savage beating Kevin sustained shortly before he ended up in the water.
In his response to the McLeods, Mr Laing makes clear his post is entirely independent of the police.
He states: “Where the complaint is of a non-criminal nature and relates to a matter of police discipline, that is the responsibility of the deputy chief constable.
“I now write to inform you that having considered the information provided to me, I take the view that your complaint does not refer (to) criminal conduct by a police officer and I have accordingly referred the matter to the deputy chief constable. It will be a matter for him to decide if any misconduct proceedings are appropriate.”
Allan McLeod yesterday said the reply is very disappointing, adding the family believe it will only get justice when a fresh review is put in the hands of another police force.
