A former head gamekeeper has appeared in court accused of the shotgun murder of a dog walker at Aberfeldy.
David Campbell is accused of killing Brian Low, 65, as he walked his dog near the Perthshire town in February.
The death was initially believed to be a medical matter but further investigations led to Campbell’s arrest last week.
Campbell, 75, appeared on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday.
It is alleged Campbell, of Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, murdered Mr Low by shooting him in the head and body with a shotgun at a place called Leafy Lane, near the Pitilie track, on February 16.
Prosecutors claim he killed Mr Low, having previously shown ill-will and malice towards him.
Campbell is further accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice between February 16 and May 24 by hiding the alleged murder weapon.
The pensioner, represented by Perth solicitor David Holmes, made no plea during the brief hearing before Sheriff William Wood.
He was remanded and is scheduled to appear in court again within eight days.
Police activity
There has been an increase in police activity throughout the Aberfeldy area since Campbell’s arrest on Friday.
Officers were spotted at three sites, including a private house.
A sniffer dog was used in a search of the property’s garden, with five police vans parked outside.
Mr Low’s body was found in the Pitillie area of Perthshire on February 17, three days before his 66th birthday.
Mr Low retired last year after working as a groundsman on the 4,000-acre Edradynate Estate for more than two decades.
Investigators have visited nearly 500 homes and checked more than 2,400 hours of CCTV footage from 56 cameras as part of their probe.
For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.
