A leading forensic pathologist who has played a key role in many of the north and north-east’s most prolific criminal cases will retire later this year.
Dr James Grieve, senior lecturer in forensic medicine at Aberdeen University, has dedicated the last 25 years to investigations into murders, suicides and accidents.
During that time, he has been involved in cases including the Orkney curry house murder, the Nat Fraser case, the Malcolm Webster investigation, the tragic death of baby Carla-Nicole Bone, and the Super Puma helicopter crashes.
Dr Grieve has been preparing to retire for the past two years, spending much of that time making sure he secured a “truly brilliant successor” to take up the reins.
“I have looked forward to my retirement,” he said yesterday.
“I think, in particular, to not have to stare tragedy, deprivation and depravity in the face, often at antisocial times of the night, in antisocial places, in antisocial climates – I don’t think I will miss that.
“It was important to do but I have done it and I am sort of looking forward to just being an ordinary person and not having to do that.
“I am a bit fearful about what I am going to do because for the past 37 years since I graduated, and for six years before that, medicine has been my life and my passion and I forgot to do anything else so I have never played golf.
“But there are a lot of places in the world I have never been and a lot of things I have never tried.
“A life in forensic pathology certainly prepares you for the possibility of being run down by a number nine bus tomorrow – you never know how much time there will be.
“I think I will just see what it is like.
“I know I will miss, desperately, teaching. I have loved the medical students and law students and that has always been great fun.
“I don’t know how well I have taught them or how well they have retained it, but I have always enjoyed it.”
He added: “It has been a huge privilege to have been able to serve the public.”
Dr Grieve, from Aberdeen, is also looking forward to his final public engagement before his retirement – appearing alongside acclaimed UK crime writer Ann Cleeves in a debate about where forensic fact meets fiction as part the north-east’s festival of science TechFest in the city next month.