Police appeal for information after ‘unexplained’ death deemed murder

Police have launched a murder inquiry into the death of a man last month.

Gary Nicol, 50, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was found injured on Bankton Lane in Livingston, West Lothian, at around 2am on Thursday September 26.

Following a post-mortem examination on September 27, the death was being treated as unexplained, however it is now being treated as murder after further inquiries by specialist officers.

Police said detectives have established Mr Nicol drove to Bankton Lane in his black Ford Mondeo car, registration GN02 GRN, and arrived there around midnight.

They are appealing for information as they try to piece together what happened.

Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Pleasance, from Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Nicol’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

“It is vital that we get answers for them and we are fully committed to tracing the person responsible as soon as possible.

“Our investigation into Mr Nicol’s death continues and I would urgently appeal to anyone with information who has not already spoken with us to please do so.

“We are keen to hear from anyone who saw a car of this description in the area around midnight, or anyone or vehicles in and around the Bankton Lane area.

“We are trying to piece together Mr Nicol’s movements prior to his body being found and would ask anyone with any information to contact officers.

“This is a challenging investigation and any piece of information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, could prove vital, so please do pass it on.”

Police said the family of Mr Nicol, who was from Livingston, are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers.

The Major Investigation Team is carrying out “extensive” inquiries and officers from the local division and operational support units have also been involved.

Local area commander Chief Inspector Elaine McArthur-Kerr said: “We understand the significant impact this has had on the people of Livingston and there is a dedicated team of officers working on this investigation.

“I would like to reassure the community that officers are working hard to trace whoever is responsible, with CCTV footage being gathered from the surrounding area and door-to-door inquiries continuing.

“Detailed forensic work has been carried out and extensive searches of nearby woodland have been undertaken by specialist officers.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 0278 of September 26, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.

An online portal has been set up to encourage members of the public to submit information to detectives.

The Major Incident Public Portal is a website that gives the public access to a form so they can send information directly to the major incident teams based at the Scottish Crime Campus.

It can be accessed at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT24S15-PO1.