New review ordered into death of Colin Marr in Lochgelly

Colin Marr, originally from Inverkeithing, died of a single stab wound in July 2007 and after his mum Margaret and step-dad Stuart Graham highlighted the "repeated failings" of the authorities to properly investigate, a forensic and pathology review of the case has now been ordered.

It will give him a "chance of getting justice" and help establish what happened that evening as they don't believe the official version that he took his own life, with several experts agreeing that it should have been treated as homicide.

In a statement the family said: “We hope that we are close to bringing to a close what has been a very long journey.

"We want to spend more time remembering Colin for the lovely guy he was rather than being stuck in the most horrendous day of his life.”

The 23-year-old mortgage advisor was found dead on the living room floor of his home in Johnston Crescent, Lochgelly, on July 10, 2007.

Colin had a head injury, a single stab wound and a kitchen knife at his side.

His fiancee, Candice Bonar, has always insisted that he took his own life.

A fatal accident inquiry in 2011 proved inconclusive, with the sheriff unable to say for sure who struck the fatal blow, but the family have continued to seek answers.

A review will now take place and a spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “We appreciate the importance of this work to the family and they will be informed of significant developments.

“Once further enquiries are complete, all the evidence will be reviewed by a prosecutor who has had no previous involvement in the case.”

Mr Graham told the Times: "Our family clearly welcome this development, it has taken an extraordinarily long time to reach this point.

"It is two years past since we presented police with evidence from Dr Nat Cary that clearly states the location of the wound and thus the significance of the wound in terms of Colin’s death being a homicide.

"Not only does it raise significant questions, it also gives Colin a chance of getting justice.”

The 'forensic and pathology' aspects of the case are key as several experts have said that the amount of force used to inflict the fatal stab wound would have made it very difficult for Colin to do to himself.

In April 2021 Mr Graham handed police and prosecutors a wealth of material pertaining to the case, including new witness statements and two reports from Dr Cary that challenged the original police conclusion that it was suicide.

The forensic pathologist, who worked on the case of Soham child murderer Ian Huntley and assisted the families of those killed in the Hillsborough Disaster, repeated his expert opinion that it should be treated as homicide.

Dr Cary wrote: “The pathological findings are not typical of self-infliction in that there are no tentative wounds, severe force would have been required and the knife was withdrawn from the wound, allegedly by the deceased.

“In my opinion, this case is, and always was, a homicide until satisfactorily proven otherwise."

Colin's death was quickly ruled to be an 'open and shut' case of suicide but doubts were raised following the lack of investigation into what was a suspicious death.

Mr Graham said the authorities have covered up and lied to protect that position, and the mistakes that arose from it, ever since.

A Fife Police investigation in March 2009 found 25 failings, the force and the Crown Office also produced reports that were critical of the original investigation into Colin's death and issued apologies to his family.

Following those admissions, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner upheld 12 complaints.

In the years since the family have continued to push for answers and in March they called for a public inquiry into Colin's death after highlighting the "repeated failings" of the justice system.

In his letter to the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, and Solicitor General Kate Charteris KC, Mr Graham also listed 55 questions about the case that have "never been answered".