MURDER
CASE #: 2004-54
Alistair Wilson
Status:
Open
Date of Offense:
Date of Offense:
Jurisdiction:
police-scotland
Offense Location:
Nairn, Scotland
Summary:
Alistair Wilson was a banker aged 30 living in Nairn, Scotland who was shot dead at his doorstep on 28 November 2004. The ensuing murder inquiry was one of the largest ever carried out in Scotland and the crime remains unsolved. His objection to a large decking area outside the Havelock Hotel is being treated as significant to the enquiry.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
At around 7 pm on 28 November 2004, the doorbell of the Wilsons' house was rung and Veronica answered the door. An unidentified man wearing a baseball cap, dark blue jacket and dark jeans stood on the doorstep. He asked for Alistair Wilson by name and Wilson went to speak to him. A few minutes later he returned to his wife carrying an empty blue envelope with the name Paul on the front. Confused, he went back to the door, at which point Veronica Wilson heard three gunshots and, on going to the door, discovered her husband had been shot. He later died at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Additional Details:
The murder weapon, a German-made Haenel Suhl Model 1 Schmeisser handgun dating from between 1920 and 1945, was discovered on December 8 in a drain in Seabank Road, less than a mile from Mr Wilson's home by council workers carrying out gully cleaning. Police said a witness has described seeing two men - one aged in their 20s and the other between 40 and 60 years old - on Nairn's East Beach. The younger of the men was said to have been in possession of a handgun. Mr Wilson's objection to a large decking area outside the Havelock Hotel, Crescent Road, is being treated as significant to the enquiry. Officers believe this objection was discussed in the hotel bar on Friday, 26 November, 2004, and over the weekend up until Alistair's murder on the Sunday night on his doorstep across the street. Officers from Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team, which is carrying out the investigation, can also confirm they now believe the answer to Alistair's murder lies within his personal life and is not connected to his employment with the Bank of Scotland. A team of 14 officers are now working on Operation Sabine, the reinvestigation of Alistair's death, with more officers being drafted on to the enquiry in the coming weeks. 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.
Case Last Updated:
Timeline of Events
In September this year the Lord Advocate announced a reinvestigation of the case with new teams of officers and prosecutors.
Detectives leading the reinvestigation into the murder of Alistair Wilson in Nairn 20 years ago have set up a new online site to allow anyone with information to contact them directly. The Major Investigation Public Portal (MIPP) allows people to submit files or information to the team anonymously if they wish. A team of 14 officers are now working on Operation Sabine, the reinvestigation of Alistair's death.
Mr Wilson's wife Veronica makes a public appeal for information as the hunt for the killer continues.
The murder weapon, a Haenel Schmeisser, a German handgun, is found in a drain not far from Mr Wilson's home.
Mr Wilson, a father of two, was shot around 7pm on Sunday, 28 November 2004 after a man called at the family's home on Crescent Road.
Associated Persons
Veronica W. (Spouse) - Living
Andrew W. (Child) - Living
Unknown G. (Suspect) - Unknown
Unknown W. (Child) - Living
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