Police believe a north-east mechanic who was “viciously attacked” and left to die in his own home may have let his murderer in.
The detective leading the inquiry into the death of Brian McKandie said last night they had not ruled out the possibility that the pensioner knew his killer.
Detective Chief Inspector Iain Smith said so far, nothing suggested the attacker had forced their way into the 67-year-old’s cottage in Rothienorman.
Officers are now trying to trace two men seen standing outside his home at Fairview Cottages, Badenscoth, on Friday night.
It is believed they could have been the last people to see Mr McKandie alive before he was fatally attacked just hours later.
DCI Smith said it was extremely important to the investigation for the two men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s or 40s, come forward.
He said he hoped they would be able to assist in creating a better timeline of Mr McKandie’s final hours.
His badly injured body was discovered inside his home at around 4pm on Saturday after a worried friend, who could not make contact with him, raised the alarm.
DCI Smith added they were following a number of lines of inquiry, such as a botched robbery and “travelling criminals”.
He said: “We are looking at various different theories and the issue is, is it someone who knows Mr McKandie?
“Is it someone who doesn’t know Mr McKandie and has he been targeted specifically or is this just a random chance meeting that has resulted in his death?
“Within those theories there are a number of different lines of investigation to pursue in terms of his private life, business dealings, his friends and associates as well as people that may be travelling around the countryside in terms of a travelling criminal.
“There is a whole host of lines of investigation that need to be looked at.”
Although the inspector confirmed the “vulnerable” pensioner was subjected to a “vicious attack” he said he could not give any more details with regards to the type of injures sustained.
He stressed he believed the “violent attack” was a one-off incident, and insisted murders in the north-east are rare.
However he warned local residents in the village to take extra precautions in the wake of Mr McKandie’s death – although said he did not think the perpetrator was likely to strike again.
“I think this is an isolated incident,” he said. “I have said before, murders in the north-east are very rare and murders in that particular part of Aberdeenshire are almost unheard of so it would seem sensible to give advice to individuals, that in the mean time, exercise caution and secure your homes in the way you would expect to do anyway.”
The inspector urged anyone with any information regarding Mr McKandie to contact the police, no matter how small or insignificant they think it is.
He said they were especially keen to hear from the men, who he believed knew Mr McKandie. They were spotted outside his home between 5pm and 6pm on Friday.
He said: “We don’t have any more information on them and that’s the problem and we really need these individuals to come forward. They appear to be together and in conversation with Mr McKandie outside his home address.
“They were not seen going in. It was a passing motorist who spotted them, so it is hard to make an assessment of what the level of relationship is, but clearly given the location of where he stays there is probably an expectation that they would know him.”
Last night, one of Mr McKandie’s oldest friends in the community, said the news of the two people visiting the cottage at once was “odd”.
The local business owner, who knew the mechanic and handyman for 35 years, said: “I’ve got no idea why those two guys would be seen at his house. It was very seldom there was more than one person who went to see him, it’s very odd for two people to be there at once.
“Normally it would just be someone dropping something like a TV, washing machine or car off to get repaired or something, so it’s really strange.”
The man, who did not want to be named, paid tribute to his friend and said his tragic death was “beginning to sink in now”.
“He was a really good living guy, never in trouble, plenty of character,” he added.
“He’s a guy that just wouldn’t bother anybody. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Anyone with information about Mr McKandie’s death should call Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
