Death of a Dog Walker

The latest installment of Inside Murder Trial returns to the Scottish High Courts to answer the ultimate question: guilty or not guilty?
A retired country estate groundsman is found dead by a fellow dog walker one winter morning in rural Perthshire. Several days later, it's revealed he has been shot dead. Now, his neighbour and ex-gamekeeper David Campbell stands accused of his murder.
Battling the potential missed forensic opportunities, the prosecution lead a circumstantial case, with lots of smaller individual strands of evidence painting a picture of a decades-old feud between victim and accused, leading to a pre-meditated assassination.
A section of Campbell's home CCTV was deleted on the night in question, his doorbell camera covered in tape the morning of the crime and other CCTV from the area reveals a mysterious dark figure on an e-bike wearing a long thin bag laying a trail from Campbell's house to the crime scene. Further sightings show a horse startling in a nearby field around the time they believe Low was shot. Does this CCTV show the killer on his way to murder Brian Low and a horse spooked by a gunshot? Can the jury be convinced the man on the bike is Campbell.
With no witnesses to the incident itself and no direct forensics connecting the accused to the deceased, the defence's role is to expose flaws in the evidence. They will tear apart the prosecution's timeline - and target flaws in the evidence of the victim's own partner. Discrepancy in her memory of when she last saw Brian alive questions her vital testimony and reveals a critical flaw in the prosecution's timeline. They will also argue that the CCTV does not reveal the defendant and he has an alibi.
With both sides also relying on vital witness testimony from fellow estate workers and neighbours, the trial will paint for the jury a picture of a small community ripped apart by old grudges and secrets surfacing in the wake of an assassination.
As the victim's family await justice, the accused prepares to hear his fate.
This series leads listeners through the trial, one witness at a time. Jane MacSorley is joined by one of Scotland's most esteemed defence advocates, Tommy Ross KC, and together they analyse the events in court, explain the tactics, and discuss each dramatic moment.
Inside Murder Trial is a Firecrest Films Production for BBC Scotland.