Colin Marr death: Further review ordered in unusual stab death case

The family of a Fife man who died from a stab wound to the chest have welcomed the widening of a probe into his death.

Colin Marr, 23, died from a single blow from a kitchen knife in 2007 after a row with his fiancée.

His family have long challenged the original police ruling that it was suicide and a Crown Office forensic and pathology review was ordered in May.

This has now been widened after a key 2012 forensic report about the stab wound was reportedly withdrawn.

The 2007 police investigation concluded Colin had killed himself after a row at his flat in Lochgelly with his fiancée Candice Bonar about his alleged infidelity.

Mr Marr's family believe there has been a miscarriage of justice while Ms Bonar has always maintained her innocence.

As the death was treated as a suicide, there was no forensic, fingerprint or pathology expert attendance at the scene on the night of Colin's death.

• Forensic and pathology review ordered into Colin Marr death

• The unusual death of Colin Marr

• New stab wound death reports submitted

In 2012, police commissioned experts at the University of Dundee's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification to review the case and they suggested the blade had "most likely entered the chest plate to the right of the border of the body of the sternum".

This significance of this was that such a wound would have required less force because the knife passed through soft tissue rather than the sternum, making the idea of suicide more plausible.

However, last month Baroness Black of Strome, the prominent forensic anthropologist who co-authored this 2012 report, told The Sunday Times newspaper the report was no longer valid as she had been misinformed about certain details.

She said: "The stab wound was in fact to the left side of the chest and not the right, as I had been informed by the police and was written in the pathologist's report.

"My report of the time no longer stands given that additional information was made known that was not presented at the time.

"I stand by my statement that the knife was unlikely to have passed through the sternum."

When contacted by BBC Scotland, the anatomist and peer declined to comment at this time.

In a letter to Colin's family, the Crown Office said it was not aware of the comments attributed to Baroness Black prior to publication of the newspaper article, adding: "We have instructed the police to carry out some further work as a result of the press reporting."

'Significant step'

Stuart Graham, Colin's stepfather, welcomed the developments.

He said: "It is our view that the case for suicide is now off the table.

"The withdrawal of the report by Baroness Sue Black is a very significant step in getting justice for Colin. It is finally time for this gross miscarriage of justice to be corrected.

"The latest letter from The Crown Office gives us some hope that they are now treating this with integrity required."

Colin, pictured here as a teenager and as a baby with mum Margaret, grew up in Fife

The Crown Office letter also confirmed that forensic and pathology reviews commissioned earlier this year are progressing, with further scientific work done in relation to fingerprint evidence.

The forensic and pathology aspects of the original investigation into Colin's death have in the past been challenged by independent experts.

Leading pathologist Dr Nat Cary has previously said it was "both possible and plausible" that Colin's injury was "inflicted by a third party", and he questioned previous police reports on the location of the stab wound.

Colin's fiancée Ms Bonar has been interviewed three times by the police and voluntarily appeared in person at the 2011 fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into his death.

At the inquiry Sheriff Alastair Dunlop said he could not decide if the death was suicide or homicide.

Speaking after the FAI, Ms Bonar said: "My name is cleared. I have always been honest and declared my innocence throughout this heart-breaking nightmare.

"What Colin did, he did to himself and that's the truth."

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "We appreciate the importance of this work to the family and they will be informed of significant developments.

"Once further inquiries are complete, all the evidence will be reviewed by a prosecutor who has had no previous involvement in the case."