Pensioner charged over death of ex-groundsman who was shot dead

A 75-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of a ex-groundsman of a City financier’s 4,000-acre Scottish estate who was shot dead while walking his dog Perthshire. 

The body of retired Brian Low, 65, was discovered close to his home on the outskirts of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, on February 17 and around 8.30am.

He had been walking his black labrador and police initially thought his death was ‘medical or non-suspicious’.

Mr Low had spent the past two decades working on the 4,000-acre Edradynate Estate, owned by property developer and financier Michael Campbell. 

A post-mortem examination six days after his body was found established that he had suffered ‘injuries consistent with being fatally shot’. 

Police faced criticism after reclassifying the death as potentially suspicious and belatedly erecting a cordon around the crime scene.

On Friday morning, Police Scotland confirmed a man had been arrested in connection with Mr Low’s death and was being questioned by detectives from the major investigation team.

The pensioner has now been charged in connection with Mr Low’s death and is due to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday. He remains in custody.

Police Scotland said: ‘A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.’

Mr Low had worked on the same sporting estate for more than 20 years until his retirement in February last year.

He moved with his partner to a modest bungalow at Pitilie, a hamlet close to the track where he was killed three days before his 66th birthday while walking his dog Millie.

News of the killing – the first recorded in the area for more than 75 years – prompted widespread shock in the community. Postman Jedd Burke, who delivered mail to Mr Low, said: ‘He was one of the nicest guys I ever met.

He was brilliant. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.’

During the subsequent three-month investigation, known as Operation Newlane, police visited 478 properties and interviewed more than 800 people, while more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage from dozens of cameras have been viewed.

On March 9, three weeks after the killing, police carried out spot checks in the area, stopping 118 vehicles and 18 pedestrians in the space of two hours.

The questioning was carried out on the remote track where Mr Low was found, in Aberfeldy centre and on the A827 north of the town.

Speaking in late February, Chief Inspector Greg Burns, the local area commander, said: ‘I understand this is an extremely concerning incident for a small, rural community.’

Shortly after the murder investigation was launched, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall, of the major investigation team, said: ‘We have been carrying out extensive inquiries since Brian’s death and detectives are working alongside uniformed officers to establish the full circumstances.’

The Police Investigation and Review Commissioner has confirmed an investigation is under way after criticism of the way the scene was handled.

A spokesman previously said the watchdog was directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.