A late night poker school could hold the key to solving the murder of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson, the Daily Record can reveal.
Former detective turned author and TV presenter Peter Bleksley believes a member of the regular card game based at the neighbouring Havelock Hotel may have vital information.
Alistair was shot dead on the doorstep of his home in November, 2004, just yards from the hotel, on a Sunday evening.
His murder came five days after he lodged objections to an application by the Havelock for retrospective planning permission for decking which was being used as a beer garden, Peter claims the Havelock then often allowed an ” in crowd ” of customers to stay on late to play poker.
View 5 Images(Image: Peter Jolly <peterjolly9@gmail.com>)
He believes the killer would have been known to regulars and may have decided to shoot Alistair because of his objections to the decking which some of the customers had helped build
Peter is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour of the UK with his hit show The Makings of a Murderer and has been sharing his ‘poker school’ theory with audiences most recently in Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Arbroath, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
View 5 Images(Image: DAILY MIRROR)
Police Scotland have previously admitted that the decking application could be linked to Alistair’s murder.
Peter says there was a lot of anger among some of the regulars after hearing of Alistair’s objections.
He added:”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.
“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.”
Peter says the man he believes responsible was not in the Havelock on the Friday and Saturday before Alistair’s murder when customers would have learned of the planning objection. Instead he may have been told by one of the regulars he socialised with.
He added:”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.”
Peter has spoken to some members of the poker school and believes they have also been spoken to by police.
But he is appealing to any of the players who haven’t yet come forward to do so.
In his letter of objection Alistair had complained about being disturbed by people using the beer garden and finding broken glass in his garden.
The owner of the Havelock at the time sold up in 2013 and moved to Canada with his wife and family. The hotel is currently under new ownership.
View 5 Images(Image: Peter Jolly <peterjolly9@gmail.com>)
Bleksley, who has written a book about the murder, To Catch A Killer, knows the name of the suspect who was living in Nairn at the time but has since moved away
Alistair, then 30, was shot on the doorstep of his home around 7pm after his wife Veronica answered the door to a man wearing a baseball cap who asked for her husband by name.
The bank manager who had been reading to his two sons, went downstairs to speak to the mystery man and was handed an empty blue envelope with the name Paul on it.
He went inside briefly to speak with Veronica and then returned to the door for a second time when he was shot three times.
Ten days after the murder an antique German pocket pistol, used to kill Alistair, was found in a drain half a mile away by council workmen. However, no forensic evidence was found linking it to any individual.
Peter plans to have his final show in Nairn on November 28, the anniversary of Alistair’s death.
In September 2024 the Lord Advocate ordered Police Scotland to carry out a fresh investigation into his murder.
Peter served more than 20 years in the Metropolitan Police and helped solve several murders.
He also played the part of The Chief in Channel 4’s Hunted between 2015 and 2019.
View 5 Images(Image: PA)
Chief Superintendent Suzanne Chow of Police Scotland, said: “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.”
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