Renee MacRae: Murder trial told of acid attack claim

Renee MacRae and her son Andrew disappeared in November 1976

A murder trial has heard a convicted criminal was allegedly offered more than £500 to douse a woman and her child in acid to kill them.

William MacDowell, 80, denies murdering Renee MacRae, 36, and their three-year-old son Andrew MacRae in the Highlands 46 years ago.

Dennis Tyronney, who worked at the same building company as Mr MacDowell, wrote to police in 2005.

In the letter, he claimed Mr MacDowell asked him if he could kill someone.

Mr MacDowell, 80, of Penrith, Cumbria, has been accused of murdering Mrs MacRae and their son at a lay-by on the A9 at Dalmagarry, south of Inverness, or elsewhere on 12 November 1976.

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He has also been accused of disposing of their bodies and setting fire to a BMW car.

Mr MacDowell denies the charges and his lawyers have lodged special defences of incrimination and alibi.

The defence claims Mrs MacRae's estranged husband Gordon MacRae committed the offences together with persons unknown.

Dates inconsistency

The High Court in Inverness heard that Mr Tyronney, now deceased, was one of Mr MacRae's employees. Mr MacDowell also worked at the same company in Inverness.

Mr Tyronney was approached by a "company management man" but did not know who he was until he saw newspaper photographs of Mr MacRae and Mr MacDowell following the disappearance of the mother and son, the court heard.

Reading out the letter Mr Tyronney sent to police, Det Ch Insp Brian Geddes, said: "He asked if I would kill someone else. I said I would not stoop that low - not for a mill (million).

"He wanted me to douse them in acid. I refused point blank. He said it was the wife and bairn. I might be a lot of things but I won't be a killer."

Mr Tyronney later gave a statement to police admitting he was a car thief and housebreaker.

The court heard he said he was offered £500, but that would be only part of the payment.

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Mr MacDowell's defence counsel, Murray Macara KC, asked Mr Geddes that of the 1,548 individuals who gave statements, did anyone mention Dennis Tyronney?

Mr Geddes said: "No."

The detective also agreed with the lawyer there was an inconsistency between the letter and the statement on dates.

Mr Geddes, who led a reinvestigation of Mrs MacRae and Andrew's disappearance, was asked if Mr MacDowell was the "sole interest and focus" of the re-examination of the case.

The police officer said: "No, we went in with an open mind and there was scrutiny of other people."

The court heard from a retired journalist about how Mr MacDowell told him he did not think Renee and Andrew MacRae were dead

The trial also heard from retired journalist Stuart Lindsay.

He told how he and colleagues went to interview Mr MacDowell eight days after the mother and child went missing after learning he had a relationship with her.

Mr Lindsay said: "He volunteered information that he didn't think Mrs MacRae and the wee boy were dead.

"He explained that she would phone him and let it ring twice to let him know to get in touch with her. He said the phone signalling had happened twice since she disappeared.

"It was the first time I had heard that this woman may be alive. I asked him 'Have you told the police this?' He answered: 'It must have slipped my mind.' "

The court was also told that a BMW expert thought that the fire in the car had been started using its cigarette lighter, and a bottle containing some paraffin was found at the scene some days later.

The trial before Lord Armstrong continues.