A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a forthcoming BBC documentary about the recent murder trial of retired Scottish head gamekeeper David Campbell, who was convicted of shooting dead his former colleague from Edradynate Estate, Brian Low.
The BBC’s award-winning documentary series Murder Trial was given permission to film part of the police investigation and then subsequently inside the High Court during Campbell’s murder trial.
For those of us who have followed the dozens of reports and police investigations over the years of raptor poisoning on and next to Edradynate Estate, and the failure of the authorities to hold anyone to account (sometimes justifiably due to lack of evidence, other times unbelievably in the face of apparently compelling evidence), I felt a strong sense of someone finally getting his comeuppance when the jury returned its verdict.
Campbell’s attitude during the police interview and then in the court room was chilling. The fortitude of Brian Low’s family in the face of such arrogance and appalling crime details, was remarkable.
Part one of Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker airs this evening at 9pm on BBC 2 Scotland but parts one and two are now available to watch on iPlayer, here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Hi Ruth,
It’s actually BBC Scotland it’s on not BBC2 Scotland time is 9pm as stated.
Maybe different channel in England though ?
Lets theorise that if Campbell had struck on the clever idea to have taken a little ride out to the “leafy lane” on the bike during those days when the area was still not “secured” as a crime scene – because the Police had just assumed it was natural causes. Campbell would therefore have given himself a plausible explanation for the matching mud on the pedals (would he not?) and that may well have sunk the prosecutions case and he might have literally got away with murder. Incredible!
And in the documentary at least (and I have seen no appeals elsewhere) the Police don’t seem overly fussed as to where the gun came came from or where it is now. My personal guess is that a loyal friend from Campbell’s clique may have loaned their legally owned gun to him, and have probably since (legally) sold it to get it away from them. If so – potentially somebody is out there with blood on there hands perhaps feeling quite smug.
I personally can’t help but be very unimpressed by the Police in this case, and it puts their frequent failings in raptor persecution/ wildlife crime cases in a bit more context.
“People who hurt animals don’t stop with animals. There is an established link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans — regularly referred to as “The Link.””
Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence – The Link Between Cruelty to Animals and Violence Toward Humans
How many times does an angry man have to threaten members of the public that he is going to kill them before his gun licence is taken away?
Did the police check his guns to see if one was missing from what would be listed on his certificate?
Maybe he had already been refused a certificate if he was no longer a keeper? That would certainly have rattled him!
My understanding was that his shotgun/firearms certs were revoked several years earlier….whether that was to do with allegations of raptor persecution, or allegations of making personal threats, or something else, who knows!
His stash of unsecured shotgun cartridges found during the police search at his house tells you quite a lot about his disregard for the law.
I wonder if the sign that says something along the lines of “Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again”, is still hanging on the club house at the Edradynate Estate. It was there as of spring 2025.
A poor taste “joke” sign that is even more tone-deaf with what happened to Brian Low. Perhaps those working the estate are as stupid as David Campbell who will spend the rest of his life in prison.