A convicted criminal told police he was offered cash to douse Renee MacRae and her son with acid and kill them by the man now accused of their murders, a jury has heard.
The High Court in Inverness heard that Dennis Tyronney wrote to Northern Constabulary in May 2005 to tell them about a proposition, he said, was put to him in the summer of 1976.
Tyronney was an employee of Mrs MacRae’s husband’s building firm in Inverness at the time but it wasn’t until he saw newspaper photographs of her estranged husband Gordon and William (Bill) MacDowell that he put a face to the name.
He said the person who offered to pay him more than £500 to throw acid was MacDowell, Mrs MacRae’s secret lover.
MacDowell – the father of three-year-old Andrew – denies murdering the missing 36-year-old housewife and her son at the Dalmagarry lay-by on that night.
He is also accused of disposing of their bodies, burning the car, destroying other evidence, and disposing of items including a blue cross pushchair and a Volvo estate boot hatch.
MacDowell, 80, has lodged special defences of alibi, claiming he was elsewhere in Inverness that night, and blames Mrs MacRae’s building company director husband Gordon for the murders.
‘He told me to be quiet’
The court heard that Tyronney, now deceased, wrote to Northern Constabulary telling them that a company management man had approached him and knew he had been in jail.
The senior investigating officer for the re-investigation Detective Chief Inspector Brian Geddes read out the letter to advocate depute Alex Prentice KC.
“He asked if I would kill someone else. I said I would not stoop that low – not for a mill (million). He wanted me to douse them in acid. I refused point blank.
“He said it was the wife and bairn. I thought it was Gordie (Gordon MacRae). A few weeks later I saw Gordon MacRae. It was not the man.
“He told me if I talked to anyone I would be in hot water and just to be quiet. I might be a lot of things but I won’t be a killer,” Mr Tyronney had written.
‘£500 would be upfront’
He later gave a statement to police admitting he was a car thief and housebreaker.
Tyronney claimed: “He said I would get £500 but that was only part of the payment. But £500 would be upfront. He told me not to say anything or my life would be in danger.”
MacDowell’s defence counsel Murray McAra KC asked Det Ch Insp Geddes, of the 1548 individuals who gave statements, “did anyone mention Dennis Tyronney?”
The DCI replied: “No”.
The detective also agreed with the lawyer that there was an inconsistency between the letter and the statement.
Mr Tyronney said the initial proposition was in the summer but later said it was 10 days after the police “were all over the yard because Renee MacRae went missing”.
The court has been told that was in November.
DCI Geddes was also asked if, in his re-investigation, “would it be right that the sole interest and focus was on Bill MacDowell?”
“No, we went in with an open mind and there was scrutiny of other people,” DCI Geddes replied.
The trial, before Lord Armstrong, continues.
