Row over hotel decking may be ‘significant’ in unsolved murder of banker, police say

Alistair Wilson was shot dead on his doorstep in Nairn, Scotland in 2004

Forensic teams examine the front garden of the home of bank manager Alistair Wilson, in Nairn, Nairnshire, after he was gunned down on his doostep (PA)

A planning row over a hotel decking may be a “significant” clue in the unexplained murder of a man in the Scottish highlands over a decade ago, police believe.

Alistair Wilson, a 30-year-old bank manager, had objected to a planning application made by the Havelock Hotel in Nairn before he was shot dead on his doorstep in 2004.

Detectives investigating his death now believe that the planning dispute could help explain why Mr Wilson was suddenly killed.

Detective Inspector Gary Winter holds a photograph dated November 28, 2004, that shows Alistair Wilson and his young son Andrew, during a press conference at Inverness Police Headquarters (PA)

Mr Wilson’s death is a notorious unsolved crime. On the evening of 28 November, 2004 a man - described as stocky and wearing a baseball cap - arrived at Mr Wilson’s home, which was opposite the Havelock Hotel, and asked his wife for Mr Wilson by name.

Mr Wilson, who had been reading to his two sons at the time, went downstairs to speak to the man and was handed an empty blue envelope with the name Paul on it.

One of the police officers leading the investigation in 2004 described the murder in the Highlands seaside town of Nairn in Nairnshire as ‘almost bizarre’ (PA)

Mr Wilson briefly returned inside but then came back to the door, when he was shot three times. Police revealed that two men were seen with a gun on the beach at Nairn a month before the murder.

The German-made handgun, which was used to shoot Mr Wilson, was later found down a drain by a council road-sweeper a few roads away from the scene of the crime.

Detective Inspector Gary Winter holds a replica of the gun, used in the killing of Alistair Wilson, during a press conference to appeal for new information at Inverness Police Headquarters (PA)

Police have now revealed that Mr Wilson lodged a written objection with Highland Council about the decking at Havelock Hotel. A copy of the letter was sent to the hotel two days before Alistair Wilson was killed.

Detective Inspector Gary Winter said: “Today we believe the most likely motive, based on what was a current grievance in Alistair’s life at the time of his murder, was the fact that he had objected in writing about a large decking area that had been built in the pub car park directly opposite where he stayed.”

Veronica Wilson, widow of Alistair Wilson (PA)

Andrew Wilson, aged 20, son of Alistair Wilson, during a renewed appeal for information about his father’s death (PA)

He continued: “You may have a relatively minor matter that results in conflict and the potential for a level of violence that is totally disproportionate to what happens.

“These things do happen - fallouts over objections to car parking, planning permission that result in conflict.”