The investigation into the disappearance of a Fife man has been criticised by a police watchdog.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) said several concerns raised by the family of Allan Bryant Jr had not been sufficiently addressed by Police Scotland.
Four of 12 grievances made by the Bryant family were upheld by the review body, which has called for Police Scotland to review the reasons as to why CCTV of Allan Jr’s last movements was not released sooner.
His father, Allan Sr, said failings such as this may prevent him from ever finding out what happened to his son.
“It has been agonising,” he said. “Who knows who could have come forward if the CCTV footage had been released earlier?
“Young people go out every week, but after seven months they will not remember what happened.
“This could all have led us to Allan many years ago but now we might never know.”
“They messed up”.
Allan Jr was 23 when he disappeared after a night out with friends on November 3 2013.
He had been at Styx Nightclub on Caskieberran Road, with CCTV footage showing him leaving the venue in the early hours of the morning.
However, there remains no trace of Allan Jr, who would now be 27, with his father having stated on several occasions his belief that his son is dead.
CCTV footage of Allan Jr leaving the club in an intoxicated state was released seven months after his disappearance, despite his family demanding it be released sooner.
PIRC agreed that Police Scotland failed to deal with the family’s concerns appropriately, and also agreed that an additional complaint about the lack of a police presence outside the nightspot the week after the disappearance had not been addressed properly.
The body has also called for Police Scotland to investigate why it held the incorrect address for a witness.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We note the findings of the Complaint Handling Review carried out by the PIRC.
“We will now consider the recommendations and provide a further response to Mr Bryant in due course.”
