Blue envelope provides "Paul" puzzle in Alistair Wilson case
Turquoise envelope handed to the Nairn banker had a name written on it but was never been recovered.
It's now 13 years since the murder of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson, killed on his own doorstep on Crescent Road on the 28th of November 2004. The anniversary of the death has seen Police Scotland renewed its appeal for information as the investigation into his murder continues.
Since Alistair's death, officers investigating his murder have gathered evidence and reviewed available material, and as a result, have now released new information about the envelope handed over to Alistair and two weapons similar to the murder weapon that have been recovered in Nairn.
The weapon used to kill Alistair Wilson was recovered on Wednesday, 8th December, 2004 and was a Haenel Schmeisser 6.35mm model that is believed to have been manufactured between 1922 and 1930 in Germany.
Last year two similar guns were recovered from separate addresses in Nairn. One of these was an identical make and model and was handed in following a house clearance in August 2016. The other weapon, a Melior Brevets handgun, was handed in to police in May 2016.
These guns are not linked to the murder of Alistair Wilson, however given the specialist nature of these weapons police are very interested to speak to anyone who has had a gun like this in the past. It is thought that soldiers may have brought them back to the UK following the Second World War. It may be the case that someone has passed these types of weapons on or had one stolen and we would like to speak to all of these people.
Veronica Wilson has released the following statement: "It would mean the world to us to have Alistair's killer brought to justice. As a family, it has been difficult to understand why someone would do this to Alistair and it has been a dark shadow over us for the past 13 years"
"Alistair was a loving, caring husband and father and nothing will ever change that. We cherish the time we had together, which for our boys was cruelly short"
"We will always remain hopeful that the person who killed Alistair will be caught and I would urge anyone who has information to come forward."
The officer leading the investigation into the murder, Detective Superintendent Gary Cunningham, has also urged anyone with new information to come forward.
He said: "We continue to pursue several lines of enquiry, one of which is the turquoise coloured envelope that was handed to Alistair by the person who attended at his front door. This envelope was the size that could fit a card and had the name "Paul" on it. The envelope was empty and has never been recovered"
"As part of our re-investigation, we are in the process of reassessing all information and evidence available to us. While we must protect specialist information that could only be known by the person involved, we believe given the level of debate around the envelope that it is in the interests of the investigation to release this new information.
"Extensive enquiries into Alistair's murder have been carried out with nearly 14,000 people spoken to, 3,500 statements taken and door to door enquiries at more than 1000 addresses in Nairn. Additionally, we have seized nearly 700 productions with each being assessed for any evidence that could assist the investigation. There has also been CCTV from 670 different sources collected and reviewed by officers as part of our efforts to trace witnesses or the person responsible for Alistair's death."
Detective Superintendent Cunningham continued: “Additionally, we constantly review advances in forensic science. There has been significant investment in improving our DNA technologies in the last few years. With the advent of DNA24, we are now obtaining DNA profiles from items which, when previously tested, had not produced a profile. As such, we are continuing to review the items suitable for further testing in this case"
“The passage of time can lead to significant changes in people’s associations. Those who may have been reluctant to come forward with information years ago, for whatever reason, may be more willing to do so now"
“Someone out there knows why Alistair was killed and who was involved in his murder and I would appeal to them to come forward"