The brother of an Aberdeenshire pensioner who was murdered six months ago has made a heartfelt appeal for information.
Brian McKandie was beaten to death in a brutal attack at his home in Rothienorman on March 11.
Officers have spoken to hundreds of people and undertaken one of the biggest forensic investigations in Police Scotland history but have yet to identify the culprit.
It was revealed earlier this month that DNA evidence has been found at the 67-year-old’s Fairview Cottages home but no arrests have been made.
The victim’s brother, Bill, made an appeal on BBC’s Crimewatch programme earlier tonight.
He said: “Somebody somewhere knows what happened. If they are going to keep the secret now, it’s easier to come forward and tell the police or you’ve got to the keep the secret forever.”
Bill spoke of his struggle to move on while waiting for justice for his brother’s murder, saying he “always thinks about what happened” every day.
He added: “We just can’t put our finger on the reason for it happening. There seems to be no apparent reason.”
Detective Chief Inspector Iain Smith also appeared on the programme and said officers believe Mr McKandie was killed with a “heavy weapon” and that both the weapon and the clothes of the culprit or culprits would be bloodstained.
He made a fresh appeal for anyone with information or CCTV footage of two men seen visiting Mr McKandie on the day of his death in a burgundy estate car to get in touch.
He said: “We continue to appeal for information from the public to assist with this extremely unusual and distressing case, and I can only hope that tonight’s programme will encourage people to come forward and assist us in determining the full circumstances of Brian’s death.
“Brian was a 67-year-old man who lived alone, who worked hard as a self-employed mechanic and was friendly to everyone he knew.
“Why anyone would want to hurt him remains a mystery, however somebody, somewhere, knows what happened to him and I would urge them to look into their conscience and come forward.
“A dedicated team is investigating this incident with the assistance of a number of specialist officers and departments, however we are relying on information from the public.
“If you think you know anything that could assist please contact 101. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to £10,000 for information that can lead to conviction.
