Driver who hit and killed cyclist, 63, then hid his body before confessing to girlfriend jailed for 12 years
25 August 2023, 10:37 | Updated: 25 August 2023, 12:21
A driver who killed a cyclist and hid his body for years has been jailed for 12 years.
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Alexander McKellar, 31, admitted to causing Tony Parsons' death after he struck him while driving on the A82 in Argyll and Bute in September 2017.
He then buried the 63-year-old body in a peat bog and got rid of any evidence with his twin brother Robert helped cover up what happened.
Alexander was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday while Robert was given five years and three months.
The pair held their secret for years until Alexander told his then fiancée what happened and took her to where he hid the body.
Caroline Muirhead, 32, went undercover with detectives after Alexander drunkenly confessed to the crime in 2020 and she tipped police off.
She left a Red Bull can at the scene as a marker to come back later with police who exhumed Parsons in January 2021.
His body most likely would have never had been found had it not been for the Ms Muirhead, the High Court in Glasgow heard.
Alexander was due to stand trial accused of murder last month but he instead pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide.
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The siblings both pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice last month.
Mr Parsons, who was a cancer survivor and former Navy petty officer, was hit in September 2017 by an Isuzu D-Max pick-up while on a 100-mile charity bike ride from Fort William to his home in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire.
The McKellar brothers had been attending a dinner with a hunting group at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel before the incident.
Both had been witnessed drinking alcohol, Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the court.
Mr Parsons stopped at the same hotel for a cup of coffee shortly before the incident when the hotel manager urged him to stay the night - but he decided to resume the bike journey.
The brothers, who were self-employed farm workers, later hit Mr Parsons on their way home but did not seek medical assistance. They left the scene and returned in a different vehicle to collect his body, bike and belongings.
They initially hid his body in the grounds of the Auch Estate, near the A82 but later buried his body in a remote peat bog used to dispose of dead animals.
The brothers also hid Mr Parsons's bicycle behind a waterfall on the Auch Estate but this has never been recovered, the court heard.
Mr Parsons’ body was found in January 2021 when the McKellar twins were also arrested.
Alexander reportedly confessed to the crime after Ms Muirhead asked if there was anything from his past that could affect their relationship moving forward.
He confessed to the crime, and also admitted to destroying Mr Parsons’ mobile phone and SIM card and burning his rucksack, wallet and helmet.
Ms Muirhead’s role in the investigation was key to finding Mr Parsons’ body, as before her involvement police had spent three years searching for the 63-year-old with no success.
A missing persons inquiry was originally launched on October 2, 2017 when he failed to return home.
But now Ms Muirhead has criticised Police Scotland’s handling of her evidence after she claims she was forced to continue spying on the twins for nine months to help build their case.
She told Sky News: “I have not just been manipulated by being lied to. I've been violated. I've been abused and taken advantage of.
"I literally gave them as much as I could above and beyond. They never saw me as a human. They terrorised me. They intimidated me. They took me out of my job. Here I am, I've lost my job. I've lost my possessions. My family are terrified."
She also alleged that officers in the Bridge of Orchy area leaked evidence linking her to the part she was secretly playing in the criminal investigation.
Describing a moment in a local pub where her cover was blown, she said: “And the guy behind the bar goes….'do you want a Red Bull sugar free like the gravesite'.
“Then people started spitting at me. I walked into the pub and everyone went silent. The woman told me I was not welcome.”
She has also expressed concerns for her safety, as she said she believes her ex-partner "will knock on my door when he gets out".
Ms Muirhead was due to appear as a key witness to the trial but did not show up to court.
A police watchdog is currently looking into Police Scotland's handling of the investigation.
Members of Mr Parsons's family, including his widow Margaret and children Mike and Victoria, were in court for the sentencing.
A statement from his family described Mr Parsons as a “much-loved husband, dad and grandad”.
It also said: “When he said goodbye and set off on his charity cycle from Fort William that Friday, none of us expected it to be the last time we would be able to see or speak to him.
"As you can imagine, not knowing what has happened to someone and then the devastating news that we were provided has taken its toll on all of us as a family."
The court heard that Mr Parsons suffered severe blunt force trauma and an expert ruled his rib fractures were the most likely cause of death, as they would have restricted his breathing.
A pathologist concluded he would have died within 20-30 minutes of the incident.
Sentencing McKellar, Judge Lord Armstrong said: "Alexander McKellar, on September 29 2017, you consumed alcohol and you did drive from there in the direction of your home.
"On the course of that night you collided with Tony Parsons on the A82 who was riding his bicycle. The extensive damage to the front of your vehicle is indicative of the force you hit him with.
"He sustained multiple rib fractures and complex pelvic fractures.
"The cause of his death is likely to have been a result of impacted breathing and a bleeding thorax.
"Mr Parsons's family have been deeply impacted and the emotional harm is ongoing.
"There is nothing I can say or do to compensate for their loss."
