SCCRC to review conviction of man who murdered co-worker

David Gilroy, 51, whose appeal was rejected by the Criminal Appeal Court in 2012, will have his case reviewed by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC).

Mr Gilroy was jailed in 2012 for the murder in 2010 of Suzanne Pilley, 38 – a co-worker of his.

Ms Pilley’s body has not been recovered but prosecutors think Mr Gilroy left it near the Rest and Be Thankful road near Arrochar in Argyll.

Mr Gilroy’s case is also significant for that fact that only a small percentage of convicts’ appeal grounds, not yet known in this case, are deemed sufficiently strong to examine in detail.

Of these cases, a mere five per cent are referred to the High Court when the SCCRC thinks there has been a miscarriage of justice.

A source connected to the case said that “an appeal will only be accepted for review if there are new grounds” for the SCCRC to look at.

Challenges can be made against conviction and sentence or both – this review concerns Mr Gilroy’s conviction.

In 2012 the Criminal Appeal Court in Edinburgh rejected his appeal. His legal representation said Mr Gilroy was interviewed by police as a witness to a potential crime but that the evidence showed they actually suspected him of carrying out the murder.

It was asserted they did this in order to avoid their obligation to allow him to consult a solicitor.

The SCCRC is also currently considering reviews of Lockerbie bomberAbdelbaset Al-Megrahi’s case as well as those of convicted murdererMalcolm Webster and Tommy Sheridan for his perjury conviction.