A Moray mother’s hopes for a fresh inquiry into her son’s death have been raised after a decades-old case in the north was reopened.
Margaret Riddel has campaigned fruitlessly for years to have her son Neil’s death in 1991 examined as part of a murder investigation.
Police say the 19-year-old committed suicide, but Mrs Riddel and her family believe he died in police custody and that officers covered up what really happened to him.
The pensioner says she is becoming increasingly desperate, as she fears her husband may not have long to live and could go to the grave haunted by unanswered questions.
But her confidence has now been boosted by the reopening of an investigation into the “suspicious” death of Wick man Kevin Macleod, in 1997.
Mr Macleod’s body was found in the town’s harbour, and his family are convinced he was murdered because pathologists found he sustained “major” internal injuries before entering the water.
Earlier this month, Chief Constable Phil Gormley ordered that “further investigative work” be carried out into the case.
Police chiefs have repeatedly ruled out a similar about-face on Neil Riddel’s death, stressing that subsequent inquiries have backed up the official version of events.
But Mrs Riddel believes it is only a matter of time before the force caves to her demands for a new investigation, and says she has been encouraged by developments in the north.
The 78-year-old said: “We are glad that Kevin McLeod’s parents have seen some progress, I can understand their feelings all too well.
“I just hope they get some satisfaction.
“This shows that these old cases can still be reopened and now we want Phil Gormley to step in and do his job where we are concerned.”
Mrs Riddel said the family’s fight for answers had been made more urgent by her husband’s recent poor health.
She added: “Neil’s father is 85 and has cancer, we know he can’t have long left.
“But we don’t want him to go with things as they are.
“The very least we want is for him to know that something is happening before he dies.”
Neil Riddel’s body was found in a field near the family home at Aultmore, near Keith, in March 1991.
Anti-depressants were discovered with his body, and his death was ruled as a suicide.
But his family believe he died in a Keith police cell, after he lodged a complaint about being assaulted by officers weeks earlier.
Their campaign received a boost last year when the Scottish Conservatives’ shadow justice secretary, Douglas Ross, agreed that “many issues” involved required “further examination”.
Mr Ross has since demanded that confidential documents thus far withheld from the family in the interests of confidentiality be released.
He said: “After the announcement on Kevin McLeod, I have asked if the Lord Advocate will meet me and the Riddels, and also if the police will reopen the investigation into Neil Riddel’s death.”
Police top brass maintain that there are “no current plans” to look into the circumstances of Mr Riddel’s death once again.
Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Cowie said: “We recognise the impact that the loss of a family member can have and our thoughts remain with the Riddels.
“Neil’s death was investigated at the time, fully reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and information relating to the circumstances being made available to officials.
“His death has been the subject of a fatal accident inquiry and further review by both police and other agencies.
“There are no current plans to reinvestigate the death and this has been fully communicated to the Riddel family. If any new information comes to light, it will be assessed.”
