A late-night poker school at the Havelock Hotel could be the key to solving the unsolved murder of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson, according to former detective and TV presenter Peter Bleksley. Bleksley, who is currently touring the UK with his one-man show The Makings of a Murderer, believes that a member of the regular card game may hold vital information about the shooting, which occurred on the doorstep of Wilson's home in November 2004.
The Planning Dispute Connection
Wilson, a 30-year-old bank manager, was shot dead just yards from the Havelock Hotel on a Sunday evening, five days after he lodged objections to the hotel's retrospective planning application for decking used as a beer garden. Bleksley claims that the Havelock often allowed an "in crowd" of customers to stay late for poker games, and that the killer may have been motivated by Wilson's objections to the decking, which some customers had helped build.
Police Scotland have previously acknowledged that the decking application could be linked to the murder. Bleksley noted significant anger among some regulars after they learned of Wilson's objections. "After the pub closed there was a poker school that played money for cash. There were lock ins, there were late ones. They were a close knit group," he said. "I know that weekend that people had seen the Alistair letter. I know for definite he would have been at risk of personal harm if he had gone into the pub that weekend."
The Suspect and the Poker School
Bleksley believes the man responsible was not in the Havelock on the Friday and Saturday before the murder, when customers learned of the planning objection. Instead, he may have been told by one of the regulars he socialised with. "I suspect when he heard from somebody in the pub about the letter he went over the top and did what he did. I know a planning dispute may not be the most serious matter but people have been killed for less," Bleksley added.
Bleksley has spoken to some members of the poker school and believes they have also been interviewed by police. However, he is appealing to any players who have not yet come forward to do so. The owner of the Havelock at the time sold up in 2013 and moved to Canada; the hotel is now under new ownership. Bleksley, who has written a book about the case titled To Catch A Killer, knows the name of the suspect, who was living in Nairn at the time but has since moved away.
The Murder and Investigation
On the evening of the murder, Wilson's wife Veronica answered the door to a man wearing a baseball cap who asked for her husband by name. Wilson went downstairs, was handed an empty blue envelope with the name "Paul" on it, and briefly spoke to Veronica before returning to the door, where he was shot three times. Ten days later, an antique German pocket pistol used in the killing was found in a drain half a mile away by council workmen, but no forensic evidence linked it to any individual.
In September 2024, the Lord Advocate ordered Police Scotland to conduct a fresh investigation into the murder. Bleksley plans to hold his final show in Nairn on November 28, the anniversary of Wilson's death. He served more than 20 years in the Metropolitan Police and played the role of The Chief in Channel 4's Hunted from 2015 to 2019.
Police Appeal
Chief Superintendent Suzanne Chow of Police Scotland stated: "This remains a live investigation. We have a team of officers and staff dedicated to this investigation. Our senior investigating officer and family liaison officers continue to engage with the family and provide support. I would urge anyone with information that could help detectives to please come forward and speak to us on 101 or via the Major Investigation Public Portal or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
