A Scone man yesterday admitted killing biker Adam Alexander of Errol in 1999. His body has never been recovered.
Thomas Pryde attacked Mr Alexander following a row at the victim’s home before dumping his body.
Mr Alexander was thought by police to be missing in the years that followed until Pryde made a drunken confession to his wife in 2006.
Pryde now faces a lengthy jail term after he admitted at the High Court in Glasgow to the culpable homicide of Mr Alexander.
Unable to give her son a proper burial, Adam Alexander’s mother has never stopped grieving for him.
Tricia Bremner accepted she would never see Adam alive again after years of searching but the bitter pain of loss was intensified by uncertainty over his final resting place.
But she says her unwavering search for answers felt like a solo crusade and accused local police of forgetting or ignoring her as the years passed.
As a missing persons inquiry was launched in November 1999, Tricia steadfastly maintained her beloved son had not merely run off and was convinced of something more sinister from the outset.
Adam had stocked his freezer, ordered new clothes and was speaking about setting up his own business days before he disappeared.
She said, “I was told by one person it was all in my mind.
“I begged and pleaded for help to find my son but I was told they would let me know if anything happened but nothing ever did.
“I was always the one who had to push it forward. It would sit on the back burner for a while and then I would get the strength to go to the police station and ask to see an officer.
“Sometimes they were just a waste of space and had a negative and insolent attitude towards me.
“Eventually I was introduced to (then Detective Chief Inspector) Roddy Ross and he spoke to me properly and the case was re-opened and dealt with in the manner it should have been in the first place.
“But it was devastating to see what should have been done finally happening but eight years too late.”Mother’s agonyHer sole concern became locating Adam’s body. A woman of strong faith, she feels any notion of “justice” can only come through God.
She said she was almost certain the search outside Errol would prove fruitless and had little interest in attending court.
Tricia said, “The police can go home at night and shut the door having done a day’s work but I go home and it doesn’t change for me.”
She added, “I did what I felt I could but nobody was listening to me. I just didn’t have the resources to do anything and over the years no one gave me any assurance until I met Roddy Ross.”
Tricia has also attempted to rebuild her life, throwing herself into an attempt to raise cash to pay for new search dogs for Tayside Police.
But, after clearing her house to set up a charity shop, she said her future is likely to be away from Perth.
“When I moved to Perth, Adam helped me to put my home together. Now my home doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Mr Ross, now a Detective Superintendent, said, “Whenever somebody goes missing there is always the potential something might have befallen them but there was nothing to suggest foul play.
“What there was a very significant and detailed missing person investigation and there were no further lines of inquiry to follow.
“It was regularly reviewed and only when new information came to light in January, 2007 were we able to relaunch the investigation.”