Well-known Dundee nightclub owner, John Pearson, who spent his last years fighting for justice after his daughter’s death, has died suddenly.
John’s body was discovered in his Seagate flat on July 30. He was 74.
John’s sister Deborah Pearson, who lives in Bathgate, said he became unwell at home.
Deborah said: “I had spent three days with him in Dundee only three weeks before he was found.
“He had problems with his legs and had spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic on his own in his flat, not getting out and about much.”
Pathologist believes daughter’s case is a ‘missed homicide’
She added that John had never fully recovered from his daughter’s tragic death and continued to fight for justice for her.
Julie, 38, died in the Israeli port of Eilat in November 2015.
Local police acknowledged that she had been assaulted, but ruled it was not a factor in her death.
John and the rest of her family never accepted the outcome of an official Israeli investigation which ruled that the 38-year-old hotel worker died of natural causes, related to internal bleeding.
They believe Julie, whose body was covered in dozens of bruises, died hours after being beaten by her abusive ex-boyfriend Amjad Khatib.
Deborah said: “John was never the same after Julie died. He used to go to Israel every year but he never went back after her death.”
Following her death and the outcome, John, along with other family members, began a campaign to make standard a second post mortem in Scotland for Scots killed abroad.
John was ‘well-liked and respected’
Paying tribute to her brother, Deborah, said: “He was always cracking jokes. He was well-liked and respected by everyone who knew him.
“His sudden death is tragic and he will be sorely missed.”
John was born in Jerusalem and moved to Bathgate with his family when he was two.
He held a few jobs before moving to Hawick where he owned the King’s Hotel for a number of years.
He was well known in the area for his charity work when he owned the hotel.
He moved to Dundee around 30 years ago and took over Arthur’s nightclub in St Andrew’s Lane.
After that he went to work for city business man Jimmy Marr, who says John quickly became his right-hand man and good personal friend.
Jimmy said: “I met John Pearson over 20 years ago. He ran Arthur’s nightclub in St Andrew’s lane for many years.
Very good friend
“When I bought Déjà vu in the Seagate, he came as general manager. He then went on to become my right-hand man and a very good friend.
“He ran déjà vu in Dundee, Dunfermline, and Peterhead and travelled all over Scotland helping us run our pub estate.
“Long drives and long hours were never a problem to John. He was a hardworking man, never took his eye off the job and would report back to me if there was so much as a nip missing.
“John was well-liked and respected by all his friends and colleagues and he will be sadly missed.”