Lord Advocate orders reinvestigation of 2004 Alistair Wilson murder

Scotland’s top law officer has ordered a complete reinvestigation of the unsolved murder of a banker who was shot on his doorstep almost 20 years ago.

Father-of-two Alistair Wilson, 30, was shot in Nairn in the Highlands in November 2004 and his killer has never been found despite “strenuous efforts”.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said she has now decided it is “appropriate” for all the details of the case to be considered afresh and further investigations to be made.

A team of prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and a team of officers from Police Scotland will work on the full cold-case investigation.

“There have been strenuous efforts made over many years to resolve this case and a great deal of evidence has been gathered.

“However, I have decided that it is appropriate for all the details of the case to be considered afresh and for further investigations to be made.

“It is my sincere hope that this secures justice for Alistair Wilson’s family and for the wider community who have been affected by this violent crime.”

The 30-year-old father went downstairs to speak to the man and was handed a blue envelope with the word “Paul” on it.

He went inside briefly and then returned to the door for a second time where he was fatally shot.

Mr Wilson died later that evening in hospital.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson of Police Scotland, said: “We are now approaching the 20th anniversary of the murder of Alistair Wilson, and our thoughts remain with his family and the loss they have suffered.

“We remain committed and determined to identify Alistair’s killer and to get justice for his family.

“We are in the process of identifying the investigation team and it will be overseen by a Detective Chief Superintendent in their capacity as a Strategic Senior Investigation Officer.

“They will conduct a thorough re-investigation of this murder.

“Unresolved murder cases are never closed in Scotland and there is no time bar to providing the police with information.

“We would appeal to anyone who may have information not yet shared with the police to come forward and report.”

Detectives have continued searching for clues over the years and travelled to Canada in 2022 to interview people in Nova Scotia as part of their investigations.

That year, it also emerged that Mr Wilson had objected to a retrospective planning application for a large decking area outside the Havelock Hotel opposite his property, which police said could be significant to the case.

Speaking in 2020, Mr Wilson’s son, Andrew Wilson, who was four years old when his father was murdered, said his family deserve answers.

Andrew Wilson, speaking publicly about the murder for the first time, said: “I was four years old when this happened and my dad was only 30.

“There would be no more bedtime stories, no more playing football or helping him in the garden.

“My dad and I missed out on so many things together, showing me how to tie a tie, driving lessons and taking me for my first pint.”

He added: “I still cannot believe how someone could shoot my dad dead on our doorstep while my brother and I were upstairs.

“The only memory of my dad I’m left with is the image of him lying on the doorstep.

“Photographs are all I have and no family should suffer the way we have all these years.”

He said: “Someone out there knows something.

“It’s not a need, it’s not a want, it’s a deserve – we deserve the answers.”