Mystery after body discovered near West Highland Way

By GARETH ROSE
Published on 28/05/2012 15:03

POLICE have been combing a stretch of the West Highland Way following the suspicious death of a man near the popular walking route.

The body of Scott Stirling, 31, was discovered in Allander Water near Clober Road, Milngavie, in East Dunbartonshire, at 7:15am on Saturday morning.

Detectives, who are treating the death as suspicious, have been looking for forensic evidence and appealing for witnesses.

In particular, they are keen to establish Mr Stirling’s movements when he separated from two other men, whom he had been with the previous evening.

It is believed that they parted company some time after 11:30pm on Friday.

Detective Inspector Alan Hunter, of Strathclyde Police, said: “It has been established that Scott had been in the company of two males on Friday evening, although we have yet to clarify when he left their company.

“I would ask anyone who saw three males together in the Milngavie area to speak to police.

“One of the males, a 31-year-old man, was the victim of an assault in the Milngavie area in the early hours of Saturday, 26 May, and was taken to the Western Infirmary, where he has been detained suffering from a head injury.

“Hospital staff describe his condition as stable.”

The area is part of the West Highland Way, which is a 95-mile footpath which starts in Milngavie and ends in Fort William, and is used by about 80,000 walkers every year, 30,000 of whom complete the entire route.

Specialist officers were yesterday carrying out forensic searches of the area.

Yesterday Andrew Thompson, 25, from Carstairs village, South Lanarkshire, made no plea or declaration when he appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court court charged with assault to severe injury, and was remanded in custody.