My brother was found dead – but police didn't realise for days that he had been shot

ByGraeme Ogston

Tayside and Central reporter

Brian Low was walking his canine connected a distant state way erstwhile helium was changeable dormant by a erstwhile workfellow whose hatred had festered for years.

The 65-year-old was recovered adjacent Aberfeldy successful Highland Perthshire with humor connected his hands and look - but constabulary did not realise astatine archetypal that helium had been murdered.

The erstwhile groundsman's decease was not treated arsenic suspicious for respective days, until a post-mortem confirmed helium had died from gunshot wounds. Shotgun pellets had fallen from the assemblage container earlier his assemblage was examined.

It was different 3 months earlier the killer, retired gamekeeper David Campbell, was arrested.

He is present serving beingness for execution - but Brian Low's household inactive cannot recognize the mistakes which were made aft his assemblage was found.

They person spoken publically for the archetypal clip successful two-part BBC documentary Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker, which follows the constabulary probe and the trial.

"I was truthful aggravated and truthful bittersweet astatine the aforesaid time," says his member Douglas Low.

"How could this happen?"

Brian Low's assemblage was discovered connected Leafy Lane, with his canine Millie by his side, connected the greeting of 17 February 2024.

One of the archetypal detectives connected the country told the execution trial that helium believed Low's injuries were accordant with him falling portion retired for a walk.

The tribunal was shown graphic photographs of Low's assemblage lying connected the path. His look was covered successful humor and achromatic marks.

Douglas Low said the pictures were "so horrific I hardly kept my meal down. I can't ideate wherefore idiosyncratic would accidental that's a aesculapian event".

Brian's niece, Jacqui Low, added: "It conscionable seems unthinkable that they didn't spot the marks connected his face, the shot."

The post-mortem recovered that Low's apparel were peppered with holes and helium had sustained astir 30 pellet injuries.

The delays meant that a cordon astatine the transgression country was not enactment successful spot until 23 February, six days aft Low's assemblage was found.

Det Ch Insp Martin MacDougall, of the Major Investigation Team, said: "When you person that delay, a fig of things spell done your caput of what we could perchance person mislaid evidentially.

"Footprints successful the soil, tyre tracks, CCTV."

The execution enquiry was yet launched 10 days aft Low's assemblage was discovered.

A property league took spot a fewer days later, wherever MacDougall and workfellow Cdr Greg Burns were grilled implicit the blunder.

One detective told the filmmakers that determination had been a batch of media involvement and admitted: "We're benignant of a wee spot connected the backmost foot".

Over the adjacent 3 months constabulary spoke to 800 witnesses and trawled done 2,400 hours of CCTV footage from 56 cameras.

The documentary followed authoritative Greg Farrell arsenic his squad built the lawsuit against Campbell, arsenic good arsenic the accused's lawyer, Tony Lenehan KC, arsenic helium attempted to dismantle the prosecution's timeline and formed uncertainty connected the evidence.

Because of the imaginable missed forensic opportunities, the prosecution led a circumstantial lawsuit during the trial.

It linked smaller strands of grounds to physique a representation of Campbell's decades-old grudge against Low, who had worked astatine the adjacent Edradynate Estate with his aboriginal slayer for much than 20 years.

Campbell had been the caput gamekeeper astatine the estate.

He was described by section husbandman Sally Crystal arsenic "highly respected" and a antheral who "ran a very, precise bully shoot".

Crystal had archetypal met Campbell during the 1987 shooting season.

She said that erstwhile helium archetypal arrived helium had been an fantabulous gamekeeper - but arsenic his estimation grew, helium became "very arrogant".

"David started truly misbehaving, the household (who ran Edradynate) started mistrusting him," said Crystal.

Asked during the proceedings however the 2 men got along, she said: "At archetypal it wasn't noticeable, but arsenic clip went connected determination was a coldness.

"On astatine slightest 1 juncture I had been talking to Brian successful the greeting and David walked past me.

"He turned to me, aggravated due to the fact that I was somewhat precocious that greeting and I'd inactive had clip to speech to Brian.

"He walked distant and helium said I (expletive) loathe that man. I hatred him."

Pam Curran, who was Low's spouse for 22 years, said everyone who met Brian liked him.

"I don't deliberation helium had a atrocious bony successful his body," she said.

Douglas Low said helium had not thought that his member had an force successful the world.

"Who would privation to harm Brian? He was the nicest, kindest idiosyncratic you could ever imagine," helium said.

"It's conscionable truthful unbelievable."

However, the proceedings was told of atrocious humor betwixt the 2 men.

Campbell had suspected Low of "planting" items which were allegedly recovered during a raid connected his then-home connected the property aft alleged vertebrate poisonings.

Campbell said helium had not had immoderate interaction with Low since 2017 and that helium did not cognize helium had near Edradynate Estate until helium saw it connected television.

Pam Curran said: "I knew they had a fall-out, a superior 1 due to the fact that Dave was being investigated for poisoning birds of prey and it had happened much than once.

"And immoderate Brian had said to the constabulary truly angered Dave and they had a close set-to.

"Brian wouldn't archer maine the ins and outs of it, but I knew it was bad. Brian was truly upset by it."

Campbell was removed from Edradynate successful aboriginal 2017 having worked determination for much than 30 years.

During the trial, defence advocator Lenehan noted that successful the 7 years since helium had near the property some men had lived adjacent each different without determination being immoderate issue.

But successful reality, Campbell had been readying however to termination Low - and screen his tracks.

On the greeting of Friday 16 February 2024, Campbell acceptable to enactment connected his plan.

He covered the CCTV camera astatine the rear of his location with duct portion successful the morning, not removing it until that evening.

A fig the prosecution said was Campbell was seen connected CCTV riding done Aberfeldy connected a distinctive bicycle, heading successful the absorption of the execution scene.

One witnesser told the proceedings that Campbell had aboriginal asked a motorcycle repair store to alteration the tyres.

The constabulary besides saw CCTV footage from a adjacent workplace showing a "spooked " equine moving astir a field, astatine the aforesaid clip Low was believed to person been shot.

Officers accidental the clip matched the past known enactment from Low's mobile phone.

Three months aft the killing, constabulary yet arrested Campbell.

He was connected the toilet bare erstwhile officers arrived astatine his home.

In a combative constabulary interview, Campbell was asked by arresting serviceman Det Con David Budd if Low's decease had been an accident.

"I don't know," helium replied.

Budd asked him: "Well did you mean to sprout him oregon not?" - to which Campbell replied: "Cheeky bastard."

He went connected to accidental that helium "100%" did not person thing to bash with Brian Low's death.

Campbell gave grounds successful his ain defence during the trial.

He said helium spent astir of the time successful his location and made a lengthy telephone to the section assembly astir a readying application.

Campbell said helium did not inquire for a solicitor aft his apprehension due to the fact that helium "didn't request one" and denied having thing to bash with Low's death.

However, helium was recovered blameworthy of execution aft a 15-day proceedings astatine the High Court successful Glasgow. The assemblage delivered its verdict aft 3 days of deliberations.

Judge Lord Scott told Campbell his "targeted assassination" had been "an appalling and senseless enactment of utmost wickedness."

He was jailed for life and ordered to service a minimum of 19 years earlier helium tin use for parole.

Pam Curran said she had not been capable to spell into tribunal for the verdict due to the fact that she did not cognize however she would react.

"That 1 enactment of unit has changed truthful galore people's lives, and for what?

"An statement implicit thing connected an property that happened years ago."

She said her beingness would ne'er beryllium the same.

"I'm not getting to spot Brian ever again. How is that right?"

"But you can't consciousness atrocious for yourself.

"You conscionable person to prime yourself up and support going, due to the fact that that's what helium would person wanted."