Hopes of finding mystery shooter who killed dad on doorstep as new murder evidence emerges

New evidence in the murder of Alistair Wilson has seen ex-Met officer Peter Bleksley suggest the information could be beneficial to the investigation, which has been ongoing for nearly 20 years

Fresh evidence in the doorstep murder of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson has been revealed just days before the 20th anniversary of his death.

A distressed man had been seen sitting on a bench in the seaside town and could hold the key to bringing Alistair's killer to justice. The new evidence comes just two months after a fresh probe into the murder was confirmed by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain. Fresh investigations are underway into one of Scotland's last unsolved cold cases following a series of police failings.

Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley claims he has information which could be beneficial to the investigation, saying a tearful elderly man was spoken to by a concerned passer-by after the murder.

It is believed the teary man was asked what was wrong by the stranger, who also asked if he could help. The key witness is then heard to have said: "I cannot believe that I have raised a son who would do such a thing." Former Met officer Bleksley is calling for the concerned passer-by to contact the police or speak to him.

Dad of two Alistair, 30, was gunned down on the doorstep of his home in the town’s Crescent Road on November 28 2004 after bathing his sons before bed. He went downstairs to speak to the visitor and was handed a blue birthday card-style envelope with the name ‘Paul’ on it.

Alistair showed it to his wife revealing it was empty and then returned to the door and the gunman opened fire. On hearing the three shots, Veronica rushed to the front door to find her husband in a pool of blood and dialled 999. An ambulance rushed Alistair to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness but he would die an hour later.

Bleksley said: "I was told that the father was sitting on a bench and was very distressed and a person approached him and said: 'What is wrong, can I help, why are you so upset?' It was then he said to this person: 'I cannot believe that I have raised a son who would do such a thing.'"

The former Met officer is now calling on the police to investigate the new lead as sources suggest other people living in the town may be aware of the incident, the Daily Record reported. Bleksley has previously claimed to know the identity of Alistair's killer and said the man on the bench my have died several years ago.

The son, now thought to be in his early 40s, was recently released from prison after serving an unrelated sentence for drug offences. A regular of the Havelock House Hotel at the time of Alastair's murder, it is believed he also had access to firearms. Bleksley is set to return to the seaside town next week so "he can find me" to discuss the murder.

Blecksley said: “He can find me at the Havelock or he can contact me on social media. I will go wherever he wants me to go to meet him. I would like to hear this story directly from him rather than second hand. I am not giving up. I will not rest and people know that. I am only trying to discover the truth."

Detective Chief Superintendent Suzanne Chow who works with Police Scotland’s Homicide Governance and Review team now leads the new inquiry. She replaced DCS Paul Livingstone whose role in the 20 year probe was publicly criticised by the Wilson family. The force has since apologised to the Wilson family after a series of complaints were made about the investigation and the conduct of DCS Livingstone.