“Crass, tactless and completely tone deaf” is how slain Alistair Wilson’s son described an award for the officer who lied to the dead banker’s wife.
The family of murdered banker Alistair Wilson have slammed an award given to a senior police officer previously found to have lied to them about the arrest of a suspect.
Detective Chief Supt Paul Livingstone won the “Contribution to Policing” prize at a two day conference of senior investigating officers (SIO’s) from across Scotland earlier this month.
The accolade said Livingston has delivered an “exceptional and nationally significant” contribution to policing, transformative leadership. operational excellence and “unwavering commitment” to justice. It also described him as setting the benchmark for investigative standards.
However the award has angered Alistair’s family who have made several recent complaints about Police Scotland’s handling of the murder investigation, including the one upheld against DCS Livingstone.
Andrew Wilson, who as only four at the time of his fathers’ death, said: “As a family we are shocked and disgusted to learn that DCS Paul Livingstone has won an award for his ‘Contribution to Policing’.
“To read quotes that he has an ‘unwavering commitment to justice’ and that he was ‘setting the benchmark for investigative standards’ is crass, tactless and completely tone deaf.”
Alistair, a business manager at the Bank of Scotland, was shot dead on the doorstep of his home in the seaside town of Nairn, in November, 2004 and the case remains unsolved more than 21 years later.
The family were told that an arrest of a suspect was to take place on May 15, 2023 only to learn it had been halted on the instructions of senior police officers and the Crown Office.
Alistair’s widow Veronica then complained that DCS Livingstone, who is head of major crime, lied to her at a meeting in Glasgow nine days later when he said he wasn’t aware that an arrest date had been set.
A subsequent investigation by Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) found DCS Livingstone was ‘incorrect’ and Veronica’s complaint that he had lied was upheld in March 2024.
In November that year Veronica was then told in a phone call that a misconduct finding had been made against DCS Livingstone, though she was not given any further information.
Police Scotland had been ordered to review Veronica’s complaint against DCS Livingston by watchdog body PIRC after she was unhappy with an earlier investigation.
The second probe found against Mr Livingston after it received an audio recording of a meeting from April, 2023, appearing to show him being told about the planned arrest on May 15.
Last August the Wilson family hit out at reports that DCS Livingstone was being considered for promotion
Andrew, who is now 26 and works as an engineer, added:” Paul Livingstone is a senior Police Officer who has not only lied to us on multiple occasions, but has also lied to Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department to cover up his actions.
“It took Police Scotland about 18 months to finally discipline him for these lies.
“In the subsequent 18 months it appears the senior leadership of Police Scotland has tried to put him on promotion courses and now they have nominated him for an award.
“Integrity is supposed to be at the heart of everything Police Scotland do. It appears that does not apply to Senior Police Officers. It appears they are promoted and rewarded for being dishonest.”
Andrew continued:”The award raises further integrity issues around which senior leader must have nominated Paul Livingstone for the award, knowing he had recently been disciplined for lying.
” It appears the award occurred at a recent SIO’s conference that Chief Constable Jo Farrell and DCS Paul Livingstone were both speaking at.
“Surely the Chief Constable must have known that DCS Paul Livingstone was recently disciplined for dishonesty when presenting him with an award.”
A letter in March 2024 from Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston confirming the finding against DCS Livingstone said:”On 24 May, 2023 he was incorrect when he told you that he was not aware that 15 May had been set as the date of the arrest.
“Please accept my sincere apologies in relation to this. “I recognise that incidents such as those severely impact the trust and confidence members of the public have in the police.”
Police Scotland also issued an ‘unreserved apology’ in relation to two other complains which were upheld.
ACC Houston found there had been a disregard for Veronica’s ” emotional well being” over the progress of the case and a failure to provide a further update on why the arrest had not taken place.
On the evening he was murdered Veronica Wilson had answered the door to a mystery man who asked for Alistair by name.
Alistair, then 30, went to speak to the man and was handed a blue envelope with the name ‘Paul’ on it.
He went back inside his house briefly, before returning to the door, where he was shot dead. The gun used to kill him, a
German pocket pistol from the 1930s, was found in a nearby drain ten days later.
At the time of the murder Alistair had been getting his his two young sons, including Andrew, ready for bed.
In September 2024 the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain announced that his murder was to be reinvestigated.
The Wilson’s have a number of other complaints ongoing over the conduct of senior officers and the murder investigation.
The SIO conference earlier this month under the theme “Cracking Complexity in Serious Crime Investigations” involved more than 120 police officers and staff as well as 50 delegates from across the UK.
An SIO is the lead investigator in cases of murder and other serious crimes.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “At the recent Police Scotland SIOs’ Conference, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone was presented with an award which recognised his exceptional contribution to policing, distinguished by transformative leadership, operational excellence and unwavering commitment to justice.
“As Head of Major Crime, he has led the most serious homicide investigations, securing justice for victims and ensuring safer communities in Scotland.
“His most significant national contribution has been the transformation of Disaster Victim Identification into one of the strongest capabilities in UK policing.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of Alistair Wilson.”
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