Cheese wire murder hunt appeal made on Crimewatch

George Murdoch was murdered in 1983

Police investigating the unsolved 1983 murder of an Aberdeen taxi driver have made a fresh appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch Live in the hope of a breakthrough in the case.

George "Dod" Murdoch, 58, was found dead beside his vehicle, with a cheese wire garrotte lying nearby.

A £50,000 reward has been on offer in the hope of helping to finally find the killer.

Police are in the process of contacting people with possible family links to DNA found at the scene. Appearing on Crimewatch Live, Det Insp James Callander said they were more confident than ever of solving the case.

Mr Murdoch picked up a fare in Aberdeen's west end on the evening of 29 September 1983.

He told his control room he was heading to Culter but he never made it to his destination.

About two miles into the fateful journey, Mr Murdoch turned off on to Pitfodels Station Road, on the outskirts of the city, where he was murdered.

Two cyclists saw him being attacked and raised the alarm but when police arrived it was too late.

His widow Jessie - who died in 2004 - worried about his safety, but he had told her he would never try to resist a robbery.

His money and wallet were stolen in the attack but it is not known if this was the motive.

A major investigation was launched but the killer was never caught.

A replica of the cheese wire believed to have been used

Forensic scientists previously managed to develop a male DNA profile from crime scene material thanks to advances in analysis techniques.

Police last week revealed they would try to contact people from an initial list of 200 possible genetic matches to establish any family link to a profile from the scene.

What is described as a "familial DNA" list was formed with the help of the National Crime Agency.

Familial DNA searching is based upon the principle that DNA is inherited and all members of a family share certain aspects of their DNA.

The 200 people are not being treated as suspects.

Det Insp James Callander of Police Scotland

Officers have now started contacting people on the new DNA list.

Det Insp Callander told Crimewatch Live: "We are more confident than ever that we can successfully close this case, but we need the public's help.

"We are currently in the process of contacting all these people to establish if there is a family link.

"Cases such as this are never closed."

He said neither police or the family had ever given up hope of getting justice.

Alex McKay, George Murdoch's nephew, said the killing was "brutal" and described the culprit as a "callous" individual.

The free Crimewatch Live number is 08000 468 999, or you can email [e-mail] or text on 63399 - text the word CRIME with a space and then your message.

Police Scotland can be contacted via 101 or emailed through a dedicated inbox at [e-mail]