Fatal Accident Inquiry for Willie McRae

Willie McRae was a Scottish naval officer, lawyer, politician and activist involved in numerous campaigns.

At the time of his death, he was under constant surveillance by MI5/Special Branch. Retired policeman Donald Morrison (on duty at the time) saw them following Willie on a Friday afternoon - he was found the following morning with a fatal gunshot to the head. In the weeks leading up to Willie's death Donald saw files being removed from Willie's office and taken to a police station to be copied. This was done without Willie's knowledge.

Had Willie died at his place of work, while under arrest, or in prison, a Fatal Accident Inquiry would have been mandatory. Willie McRae’s mistake was to die while under highly aggressive surveillance by MI5/Special Branch.

In addition to Donald's testimony the Scotland on Sunday recently discovered the following a- The car was removed from the scene and then taken back b- Witness statements were fabricated c- The official suicide verdict was released prior to completion of the ballistics report.

An inquiry has been avoided by multiple Lords Advocate since 1985. Not holding an inquiry under these circumstances makes a mockery of the Scottish judiciary. It also leads many people to believe that our Crown Office lacks the teeth and/or the inclination to hold UK Security Services to account for their activity on Scottish soil.

Put simply, many don’t believe that Willie committed suicide, and others are undecided. One thing we are all in agreement with, however, is that there are sufficient unanswered questions to warrant a long overdue FAI.