Aberfeldy murder: Police watchdog to probe investigation into Brian Low death after shooting was not noticed for days

The death was initially ruled non-suspicious

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) is to probe the investigation around the shooting of dog walker Brian Low in Aberfeldy which was initially ruled non-suspicious,

Mr Low, 65, was found dead beside his dog on a path the outskirts of the Perthshire town on Saturday February 17.

But a murder investigation was not launched until Friday February 23, after a post-mortem examination confirmed that Mr Low, from Aberfeldy, had been shot.

Police at the scene in the Pitilie area on the outskirts of Aberfeldy, Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Police Scotland has already said that officers initially treated his death as “medical or non-suspicious”.

But Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall said `while “criminality” was only established on February 23, there were “concerns around the injury” which were raised two days earlier.

Police said the “initial assessment was that of a non-suspicious and medical death” but it had “now been established to be a murder”.

He stated: “The professional standards department of Police Scotland will be informed and given any further information.”

PIRC confirmed on Friday that it would investigate the case and report its findings to the Crown Office.

With the public not informed that Mr Low had been shot until Tuesday February 27, Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said locals had contacted him with “concerns” about how the “shocking incident” had been handled.

He has written to Police Scotland in a bid to discover why their murder investigation was not launched sooner.

The SNP MP said: “A number of my constituents have contacted me about the tragic shooting of Brian Low, and the various concerns they have about how this has been handled.

“In light of this shocking incident, the local community in Aberfeldy are now understandably fearful for their safety, and, more than anything, Brian Low’s family are still without answers.

“I have therefore written to Police Scotland, calling for urgent clarification on what is known to have happened thus far, and why the investigation was not launched sooner.”

He added: “Going forward, it is vital that Police Scotland ensure full transparency as this situation develops.”