The funeral of a well-known north Procurator Fiscal who died suddenly at the age of 60 was held in Sutherland yesterday.
Alasdair MacDonald, who died peacefully at his home in Golspie on Tuesday following a short battle with cancer, will be remembered as “a true gentleman” and “a font of knowledge”.
He had been working up until a few weeks before his death and his legal colleagues said they had been shocked and saddened by the news.
Mr MacDonald joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in 1979 as a legal assistant in Aberdeen.
He worked in Crown Office and a number of COPFS offices over the following 37 years, including Inverness, Elgin, Tain, Wick, Haddington and Dunfermline.
He played a key role as a District Fiscal in the Highland and Islands Area, which was established in 2002.
Mr MacDonald was also one of the leading figures in establishing the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit, becoming the senior solicitor in the unit’s North Federation in 2012.
One of his last high profile cases was presenting the evidence in the fatal accident inquiry into the death of Kingussie woman Margaret Forrest, who died after being given the wrong medication by her local chemist.
The Crown Agent David Harvie said: “Alasdair was an outstanding Procurator Fiscal and solicitor who was respected and admired by everyone who worked with him.
“A font of knowledge and a true gentleman, he will be sorely missed by colleagues at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”
Stornoway and Inverness Sheriff David Sutherland, who worked with Mr MacDonald for more than 30 years, said: “Alasdair was a first-rate fiscal, respected and esteemed by his colleagues and all who dealt with him.
“He was a formidable prosecutor with an exceptional knowledge of the law, but was renowned for his courtesy and fairness.
“It was such a shock to learn of his recent illness and he will be missed by so many of his colleagues in the Highlands.”
Mr MacDonald is survived by his wife Anna, three children and four grandchildren.
Donations from his funeral will go to Golspie Health Centre and Maggies.
