‘Jekyll and Hyde’ ex-keeper guilty of murder

Life sentence for targeted killing

A former head gamekeeper described as having a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality has been jailed for life after shooting dead a retired groundsman in what a judge called a “targeted assassination”.

David Campbell, 77, received a minimum term of 19 years for murdering Brian Low, 65, a man he had worked alongside for nearly two decades but came to loathe over a simmering feud about alleged raptor poisoning.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that on 16 February 2024, Mr Campbell disabled CCTV at his home, placed duct tape over his doorbell camera, and cycled to the murder scene on his wife’s e-bike with a shotgun in a bag on his back. He shot Mr Low face-on as the retired groundsman walked his black Labrador, Millie, on Leafy Lane near Aberfeldy. Mr Low died almost instantly from around 30 shotgun pellet injuries to his face, neck and chest.

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Investigation failures

When his body was discovered the following morning by a dog walker, Millie was still by Mr Low’s side. Despite his wounds, his death was initially treated as non-suspicious: officers believed he had suffered a medical episode and fallen, causing the blood found on his face and hands. It was five days before the truth emerged, when shotgun pellets fell from his body bag at the mortuary. By then, Mr Campbell had disposed of the murder weapon, which has never been recovered.

Detective chief superintendent Lorna Ferguson apologised to Mr Low’s family, admitting the initial police response “fell short” of expectations. Procedures around unexplained deaths have since been completely reviewed, she said.

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Feud over raptor poisoning allegations

The court heard Mr Campbell had harboured a “festering grievance” against Mr Low, convinced he had planted evidence to frame him over alleged raptor poisoning on Edradynate Estate, where Mr Campbell was head gamekeeper from 1984 to 2018.

Local councillor and former police superintendent John Duff said Mr Campbell “could be a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character – at times quite charming, and other times you could see another, tougher side”.

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CCTV evidence and jury verdict

CCTV footage captured a hooded cyclist matching Mr Campbell’s description leaving Aberfeldy at 4.18pm and returning shortly after 5pm. Mr Campbell later changed the bicycle tyres – and told the court it was a “romantic gesture” for his wife – but soil samples proved the bike had been at the murder scene.

The judge told Mr Campbell: “In a carefully premeditated act, you murdered an unarmed and defenceless man.” He described it as an “appalling and senseless act of extreme wickedness”.

The jury delivered a majority guilty verdict after three days of deliberations. Mr Campbell showed no reaction as the verdict was read out. He had denied murder and claimed he was at home at the time.

Pamela Curran, Mr Low’s partner of 22 years, said in a victim impact statement that she “feels sad every day” and a friend had told her “the spark has gone out of your eyes”.

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association declined to comment.