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Renee and Andrew MacRae trial: The 15 images that led to Bill MacDowell’s conviction

Renee's burnt-out BMW
Renee's burnt-out BMW

Four and a half decades after they went missing, Renee and Andrew MacRae got justice this week.

Bill MacDowell was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for their murders. The 80-year-old will die in jail.

The conviction comes after 12 days of evidence, layered carefully by the Crown, to build the case against him.

Here, we walk through 15 significant productions – what the Crown call pieces of evidence – that featured in the case.

The couple

William – known as Bill – MacDowell and Renee MacRae, dressed for a function.

Along with little Andrew, the case revolved around the couple and their clandestine relationship.

The BMW

Renee’s car was found burnt out in a layby on the A9 south of Inverness on that fateful night in November 1976.

The testimony of several witnesses revolved around sightings of the car around that time – and who was in or near it.

The press

Down the years, the case never went away. There was always the chance a development would come, somebody would say something.

These cuttings show how the case was still very much in the public eye 10 and 12 years after the disappearance of Renee and Andrew.

The Volvo

There were many questions and discussions about Bill MacDowell’s company car during the trial.

He was spotted scrubbing it days after Renee’s disappearance – and asked for a replacement part for the boot.

The orange car is a replica to illustrate the boot.

MacRae’s HQ

Much of the mystery revolved around one of Inverness’s big employers at the time.

Gordon MacRae and Bill MacDowell worked there, Renee visited sometimes. Timings of people clocking out of the Harbour Road office on that Friday night were checked and re-checked.

The pub

A lot of the early evidence surrounded the sighting of Renee’s car at a lay-by close to the Meallmore Hotel.

It was thought that was where she was due to meet MacDowell on the night she disappeared.

Another witness remembered seeing a woman matching Renee’s description in the Meallmore’s lounge bar on November 12, 1976.

The Meallmore Hotel in 1976.

Evidence of a new life?

This photo seemed particularly poignant on the court’s screens.

Behind a door in the Cradlehall home Renee shared with her two sons until her disappearance, was this display.

One theory went that it was the new life she thought she was going to, laid out in linen, crockery and household goods.

The pushchair

Andrew’s Silver Cross pushchair was the subject of attention during the trial.

One witness spoke of seeing a man pushing a pushchair along the road that night.

The picture is an identical model to Andrew’s.

The photofit

The man in the Mexican moustache became part of the Renee and Andrew mystery.

Several witnesses swore they saw Renee with this man in the days leading up to their disappearance.

As you can see, there was a photofit made. But Operation Abermule officers discounted the theory.

The TV schedule

This was used to cast doubt on exactly when Bill MacDowell got home that night.

Rosemary MacDowell was sure a cowboy show with a two-word name was on when Bill came home.

But the most likely programme, called The Quest, was on later than was originally mentioned.

All the pictures and images in this gallery were supplied by the Crown.

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