Kevin Mcleod death: Police review team issues appeal

Kevin Mcleod's body was found in Wick harbour on 9 February 1997

Police reviewing the case of a man's death 23 years ago have made a new appeal for information.

Kevin Mcleod's body was found in Wick harbour in Caithness on 9 February 1997.

His family has long campaigned to have his death investigated as murder because of injuries found on his body.

A team of six retired "experienced" detectives and two serving officers from Merseyside Police have been reviewing the case.

Mr Mcleod's family has accused former Northern Constabulary and also Police Scotland of failings in their handling of the 24-year-old's death.

Last year, Police Scotland asked Merseyside Police to carry out a "detailed review" of the case. It is being done separately from a review by the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service.

'Very windy night'

In the new appeal, the Merseyside team said: "Kevin had gone out with a friend for the evening in Wick on Friday 7 February 1997 and was last seen in the early hours of Saturday 8 February.

"He was found deceased in Wick harbour at 11:00 on Sunday 9 February."

Mr Mcleod was described as being 5ft 9in tall and having an athletic build, short brown hair and was clean shaven.

He was wearing a black sweatshirt with "Levi" written in white across the chest, blue denim jeans and black Caterpillar boots.

Police said he was not wearing a coat even though it was a "very windy" night.

Merseyside Police has set up an online page where people can submit information.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Mcleod had sustained stomach injuries

Mr Mcleod's uncle Allan Mcleod urged anyone with information to come forward.

He said: "In the years since Kevin's death people's circumstances, allegiances and lifestyles may have changed.

"Our appeal today is for those people who know anything, saw anything, or heard anything at the time to please search your conscience and call or write to Merseyside Police - even if you had contacted the local police previously."

The review, which has already started, is expected to take a minimum of nine months to complete.

A post-mortem examination at the time revealed Mr Mcleod, an electrician from Wick, had sustained stomach injuries.

It prompted a procurator fiscal to instruct Northern Constabulary to treat his death as a potential murder inquiry.

But police determined his injuries were not suspicious and described his death as a "tragic accident".

They said Mr Mcleod had been injured either falling on to a bollard, on part of a berthed boat or a boat's fishing creels before he ended up in the water.

'Opportunity missed'

A pathologist's report concluded he had died from drowning and the "major abdominal injury" was consistent with him falling on to an object such as the bollards found at Wick harbour.

But Mr Mcleod's family believe he suffered the injuries during his murder.

In 1998, a fatal accident inquiry recorded an open verdict.

The inquiry's sheriff criticised elements of the initial police investigation. He concluded it had not been established the "very serious abdominal injuries" were the result of an assault, but this remained "a possibility".

Two years ago, Police Scotland, which replaced Northern Constabulary in 2013, apologised for "serious failings" on the part of the former force and said officers had missed "the opportunity to gather vital evidence".

In 2018, the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, instructed an experienced prosecutor to review police handling of Mr Mcleod's death. This review remains ongoing.

In July last year, Police Scotland asked Merseyside Police to carry out a separate "detailed review" of the case.