A former soldier may have lain dead in his home for a week before being discovered.
The body of Robert “Bob” Owenson was discovered in a property at Poppy Court in Scone on Thursday afternoon.
Opened in 2010 and run by the Scottish Veterans’ Garden City Association (SVGCA), Poppy Court provides homes for ex-servicemen and women with disabilities.
Mr Owenson, who was originally from Edinburgh, signed up to join the Royal Scots at the age of 16 in 1990.
One man who knew the 43-year-old, and who did not want to be named, said the alarm was raised after people noticed Mr Owenson had not been seen recently.
He said: “He was found last Thursday at around 2pm.
“People had missed him – he was always out and about but people saw him less when his dog died. He hadn’t been seen for a while so they called the police and they got the door open.
“He’d been dead in his house for over a week. When they opened the door they almost passed out from the smell.
“He wasn’t a well guy but I don’t know what caused his death.”
The man added that Mr Owenson did not mingle with other residents much.
He said: “I’d known him for about six or seven years – from when he lived in an Army house in Letham. He told me he’d been in the Royal Scots and the Military Police.
“He was a wee guy who kept himself to himself.
“He lived for his dog – which died about three months ago. I think that really put him on a downer.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Owenson’s death.
“Police Scotland can confirm that we attended at Poppy Court, Scone, on May 5 following the sudden death of a 43 year old man,” she said.
“There are no suspicious circumstances and as with all sudden deaths a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal”
