The gun used by Alistair Wilson’s killer who fired three shots on the fatal night remains one of the vital clues of the case.
It was found 10 days after the murder in a drainpipe by a council road sweeper, not far from the scene of the crime.
The weapon was sent for forensic examination and it was quickly confirmed by scientists as the gun that was used to kill Alistair Wilson. But they were unable to find any fingerprints on it.
Whether that was entirely because it had lay in a drain for 10 days with wintry Highland weather washing over it, or because the killer had taken steps to remove any traces of his DNA, it can not be certain.
‘Do you know of anyone who had a similar pocket pistol?’
Detective Inspector Gary Winter, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “The handgun used was a Haenel Suhl pocket pistol from the 1930s which has a distinctive H and S letters superimposed on the grip.
“We believe this weapon is likely to have been taken to the UK after World War Two as some form of souvenir, however the ammunition used in the murder is from the 1980s or 90s.
“Do you know of anyone who had a similar pocket pistol? Do you know of anyone who mentioned having firearm souvenirs from the World War Two or from any family who were World War Two veterans?”
‘None of us clicked what it was’
Road sweeper Charles McLachlan discovered the weapon when the gun rattled out of his drain cleaner.
He had travelled from his home at Elgin to Nairn that day to clear out the gullies for the council – a job he had done countless times.
He told the Press and Journal in 2014: “It was common to find shoes, money, mobile phones and watches down them, but I had never seen a gun before. It was surreal.
“It was tiny, no bigger than the palm of my hand. We were later told that it was the type of gun Russian prostitutes used, as it was small enough to hide in their tights.
“We called the police to report what we had found, but none of us clicked what it was.”
A second handgun of the same make was discovered in Nairn a few years later, but was not linked to the case – but proved such weapons were in circulation.
