Twin brothers to be sentenced over death of charity cyclist Tony Parsons

A drink-driver will be sentenced on Friday after he admitted killing charity cyclist Tony Parsons and burying his body to cover up the crime.

Alexander McKellar caused the death of Tony Parsons by hitting him with his vehicle on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy, Argyll and Bute, on September 29, 2017.

McKellar then teamed up with his twin brother Robert to try and cover up the crime, which included burying the 63-year-old ex-navy officer in nearby woods.

The brothers will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.

While originally charged with murder, advocate depute Alex Prentice KC announced last month the charges against the two brothers had been amended.

Alexander McKellar pled guilty on July 26 to the reduced charge of culpable homicide.

Meanwhile, his brother had his not guilty plea to murder accepted. Along with Alexander, he instead admitted to a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Alexander admitted driving on the A82 at “excess speed and when unfit through alcohol”. His Isuzu D-Max pick-up hit Mr Parsons, who was cycling at the time.

With “reckless disregard” for his actions, he left Mr Parsons by the side of the road “in a remote location during the hours of darkness and in inclement weather”, causing his death.

The charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice, is said to have taken place between September 29, 2017 and January 3, 2021.

Both brothers admitted leaving the site where Mr Parsons had been struck and returning in another vehicle, into which they placed the cyclist along with his bicycle and other belongings.

They moved him to woods in the Auch Estate, before then moving his body to another location which was used to dispose of dead animals.

There, they dug a grave and buried him, as well as disposing of his belongings.

They pretended the damage caused to their car had been due to striking a deer and sought to conceal that Mr Parsons had been struck by it.

Mr Parsons’ disappearance sparked a large scale missing person probe, which included a BBC Crimewatch TV appeal by his son.

It was only in January 12, 2021 – more than three years after he was killed – that his remains were discovered in a remote area near a farm at Bridge of Orchy.