man who labored on the identical agency as the person accused of murdering Renee MacRae and her three-year-old son Andrew advised detectives he was approached by somebody who requested him if he can be prepared to kill.
Mrs MacRae, 36, and Andrew went lacking in November 1976. William MacDowell, 80, is on trial for his or her homicide on the Excessive Court docket in Inverness.
The court docket heard Dennis Tyronney despatched a letter to detectives which mentioned on the time of the disappearance, he was working throughout the street from the MacRae Builders head workplace, the place MacDowell was firm secretary and the place Mrs MacRae’s husband, Gordon, was the boss.
Within the letter, Mr Tyronney wrote of an encounter with a person he assumed labored on the builders: “He needed to see me alone that evening to speak and it may very well be in my favour moneywise.”
Mr Tyronney, who served time in jail and is now useless, advised police the person knew he had been in jail and he was “then requested if I used to be in a position to kill somebody” by “dousing them in acid”.
“I refused level clean. He mentioned to me a couple of occasions to me it’s the spouse and bairn.
“When it was within the papers about Renee going away, I believed it was Gordy (Gordon MacRae),” the letter mentioned, learn out to the Excessive Court docket at Inverness by Detective Chief Inspector Brian Geddes.
“He warned me off earlier than I left, should you speak to anybody I may very well be in scorching water. Simply be quiet,” the court docket was advised.
The jury was advised the letter mentioned Mr Tyronney returned some years later to the Inverness agency he met Gordon MacRae, however didn’t recognise him as being the person who spoke to him that evening.
Mr Tyronney advised police when he noticed officers on tv speaking in regards to the case he acquired the “creeps” and added: “I may be quite a lot of issues however I gained’t be a killer.”
Mr Tyronney, who was born in Inverness however on the time he wrote the letter had moved to Edinburgh, spoke to police in Leith and mentioned he advised them he was supplied £500 as an upfront cost and can be supplied extra as soon as he accomplished the acid assault.
And, within the assertion learn out to court docket, Mr Tyronney mentioned the person, whom he recognized as William MacDowell, would prepare the supplies.
MacDowell has denied murdering Renee and Andrew MacRae on the Dalmagarry layby, on the A9 close to Inverness on November 12 1976.
He’s additionally accused of disposing of the our bodies of Mrs MacRae and her son and in addition disposing of a boot hatch from his Volvo automobile to defeat the ends of justice, which he denies.
He has lodged a particular defence of incrimination and alibi, a part of which is he was on the Mercury Motor Inn, Inverness, that night earlier than going residence through his work and a store.
Murray Macara KC, representing MacDowell, requested Mr Geddes if the “soul focus” of the newest police investigation into the disappearance of Renee and Andrew MacRae was MacDowell, and was advised that was “not the case” with plenty of avenues investigated.
Mr Geddes advised the court docket the investigation was to determine the killer and discover their our bodies however, regardless of intensive inquiries, the search had come to nothing.
Mr MacDowell’s automobile, a Volvo, has additionally been scrapped, the court docket was additionally advised.
The court docket later heard from ex Glasgow Herald reporter Stuart Lindsay, 78, who was amongst a bunch of journalists who tried to query MacDowell every week after the disappearance, following a press convention.
The court docket heard the journalists went to his property after a reporter had seen a police briefing paper which recognized MacDowell as being Mrs MacRae’s lover, they usually needed to confirm this.
Mr Lindsay advised the trial MacDowell had confirmed that he had been having an affair however that he and his spouse, Rosemary, would keep collectively.
MacDowell advised him on the gates to his property he “didn’t suppose they had been useless” and defined that they had a phone code of letting the cellphone ring twice and hanging as much as get the eye of each other.
“He mentioned this cellphone signalling system had had occurred twice since her disappearance,” Mr Lindsay mentioned.
Mr Lindsay mentioned he advised MacDowell it had been the one proof since Mrs MacRae went lacking that she was nonetheless alive.
Requested if he talked about this to detectives, Mr Lindsay mentioned: “It should have slipped my thoughts.”
The trial, earlier than Lord Armstrong, continues.
Supply hyperlink
