The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)

MP demands answers over police delays in starting murder probe

An MP is calling on Police Scotland to provide “urgent clarificat­ion” on why officers took days to launch a murder investigat­ion following the death of a man.

Brian Low, 65, was found dead beside his dog on a path the outskirts of Aberfeldy, in Perthshire on Saturday February 17.

But a murder investigat­ion was not launched until Friday February 23, after a postmortem examinatio­n confirmed that Mr Low, from Aberfeldy, had been shot.

Police Scotland have already said that officers initially treated his death as “medical or non-suspicious”.

But Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall said that while “criminalit­y” was only establishe­d on February 23, there were “concerns around the injury” which were raised two days earlier.

Speaking on Thursday, the police said the “initial assessment was that of a non-suspicious and medical death” but it had “now been establishe­d to be a murder”.

He said: “The profession­al standards department of Police Scotland will be informed and given any further informatio­n.”

However, with the public not informed that Mr Low had been shot until Tuesday February 27, Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said locals had contacted him with “concerns” about how the “shocking incident” had been handled.

He has now written to Police Scotland.

The SNP MP said: “A number of my constituen­ts have contacted me about the tragic shooting of Brian Low, and the various concerns they have about how this has been handled.

“The local community in Aberfeldy are now understand­ably fearful for their safety and, more than anything, Brian Low’s family are still without answers.

“I have therefore written to Police Scotland, calling for urgent clarificat­ion on what is known to have happened thus far, and why the investigat­ion was not launched sooner.”

Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.