Police to apologise for taking days to realise man was murdered with shotgun

Key Points

Police Scotland’s senior investigating officer admitted the force “fell short” after officers failed to realise for days that Brian Low had been shot
DCS Lorna Ferguson said she would personally apologise to the family
Mr Low’s death was initially treated as non‑suspicious, despite 30 shotgun pellet wounds to his face
Officers and a paramedic wrongly concluded he had suffered a medical collapse, leaving the scene unprotected for four days
The delay meant crucial evidence may have been lost, with a post‑mortem not carried out until six days later – prompting Scotland’s police watchdog to investigate
DCS Ferguson said the force had undertaken a ‘complete review’ of procedures around unexplained deaths
The PIRC report has been submitted to the Crown Office, which is still considering the findings as part of its ongoing investigation

The senior police detective in charge of the Aberfeldy murder case has said she would personally apologise to the victim’s family after officers took days to realise he had been shot to death.

Detective chief superintendent Lorna Ferguson acknowledged that Police Scotland’s response to the murder of Brian Low “fell short” of what the public expects.

On Wednesday, a former head gameskeeper who had held a “festering” grudge against Mr Low was convicted of murdering him.

North East & Tayside

Ex-gamekeeper murdered groundsman with shotgun over ‘festering’ grudge

David Campbell harboured a ‘festering grievance’ against Brian Low before shooting him

Scotland’s police watchdog has completed its probe into the fumbled investigation that saw officers take days to realise Mr Low had been murdered.

Mr Low’s body was found being watched over by his black Labrador by a local man on a country path near the town of Aberfeldy at about 8.30am on February 17, 2023.

Emergency services were called to the scene, but police officers and a paramedic failed to notice that the 65-year-old had been shot.

His face had 30 shotgun pellet injuries and was covered in blood.

Police said they believed Mr Low had suffered a “medical event” and had then fallen and hit his face.

His family was informed that his death was “non-suspicious” and the crime scene was left open to the elements for four days.

North East & Tayside

Former police inspector feared he was killer gamekeeper’s next victim

David Campbell murdered groundsman Brian Low having harboured a grudge for years

It took police six days to carry out a post-mortem.

Police Scotland admitted that crucial evidence may have been lost.

In a statement released by Police Scotland, DCS Ferguson said staff had worked “tirelessly” to piece together the case.

“A team of 31 officers from Police Scotland’s major investigation team, the local policing division and specialist search colleagues were involved in the three-month investigation.

“Detectives examined 2,400 hours of CCTV footage, captured around 1,000 statements and visited almost 500 properties as part of extensive inquiries to establish what happened and who was responsible for Mr Low’s death.

“Expert witnesses in ballistics, biology, chemistry and cybercrime also played a crucial role in building evidence in the case against Campbell.

“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that our initial response to this tragic incident fell short of what Police Scotland and the public rightly expects. We have reflected and we have learned from what happened.

“This learning included a complete review of all policies and procedures around attendance at unexplained deaths as we take steps to try and prevent something like this happening again.”

The matter was referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) and an investigation was carried out into how officers dealt with the initial stages of Mr Low’s death.

The PIRC report has been submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

A spokesperson for the watchdog said: “We investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of a 65-year-old man discovered near Aberfeldy on February 17, 2024.

“A report of our findings was submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on August 19, 2024.”

The Crown Office said the report is being considered as part of its ongoing investigation and it would not comment on the outcome before the work had concluded.

“The Procurator Fiscal has received a report in connection with the death of a 65-year-old man following an incident near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, on February 17, 2024,” a spokesperson said.

“The investigation into the death is ongoing and the family will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.”