SENTENCING STATEMENTS

On sentencing, Lord Scott made the following comments in court:

“You have been found guilty of the murder of James Brian Low, known as Brian Low, on a quiet country lane near Aberfeldy on 16 February 2024, just over 2 years ago.  You did not encounter Brian Low by chance that day, and you did not just happen to have a shotgun with you. On the evidence, the jury decided that it was proved beyond reasonable doubt that, in a carefully premeditated act, you murdered an unarmed and defenceless man by discharging a shotgun at him, causing such severe injuries that he died where he fell. You did this having earlier disabled CCTV cameras in your home in an attempt to conceal your whereabouts that day.

There was no provocation for what you did. You murdered a man who offered no threat to you. You did this having told people over several years how much you hated him or loathed him or blamed him for the change in your fortunes which followed police attention to the estate where you were head gamekeeper for over 30 years. After some time, and things you blamed him for, you left the estate although you felt that you were sacked. The bitterness and grudge you bore towards Brian Low, reflected in some of the things you said about him, did not diminish over time. Indeed, it seems to have become more intense, leading you to plan and carry out the sort of killing that was referred to in a relevant decision of the Appeal Court as “a targeted assassination” or “a pre-planned execution with a victim who was unarmed and unaware of the fate which was about to befall him”.

The murder weapon was never found, undoubtedly disposed of by you along with other incriminating items in calm and calculated efforts to conceal your crime and remove any evidence in its immediate aftermath.

It may be that, given serious errors in the early stages of police inquiries, you thought initially that you had got away with murder. If so, you were wrong. From the point of the first effort at autopsy, it became clear that Brian Low’s death was not due to natural causes. From that point on, despite successful efforts to dispose of key evidence and cover some of your tracks, it seems inevitable that suspicion would start to focus on you given, among other things, the views you held about Brian Low which you made no secret of until you came to give evidence.

You lied to the police, attempting to avoid the obvious conclusion from some of what you had done by alleging a police conspiracy to lose what you claimed would have been exculpatory evidence. By the time of the trial, it had occurred even to you that some of those lies were ludicrous and would never be believed, so you adapted your evidence in court to try to counter some of the incriminating facts, veering sharply away from some of your earlier lies and even some of your apparent trial strategy.

When you murdered him, Brian Low was 65 years old. There are 2 moving Victim Impact Statements, prepared by Brian Low’s partner, Pamela Curran and his older brother, Douglas Low.

Pamela Curran describes the significant impact on her life of the loss of her partner.  She feels sad every day and misses Brian. It is hard for her to think she will never see him again. You robbed her of the chance to say goodbye. She will not now go out after dark. She is stressed, tearful and cannot concentrate or relax properly. In March last year, she was contemplating trying to see a counsellor for the impact on her mental health. Her closest friend told her, “the spark has gone out of your eyes, you just appear sad. It’s heartbreaking”. Without Brian’s financial contribution, she thought that she would have to find somewhere else to stay and leave the home she loved and in which she formed many happy memories with Brian.

Douglas Low describes the profound and lasting impact on him and his family of their traumatic loss through murder. He says he is changed forever. Brian Low’s family are understandably devastated. Douglas Low says his heart is broken, with an overwhelming sense of loss and grief “that words cannot express”. Brian was a best friend, a confidante, and almost like a son to him due to their 10 year age gap. He says that, “His kindness, old-fashioned honesty and sense of humour were refreshing and always welcomed”. He still misses their weekly Sunday catch-ups. Brian Low’s family are left with many questions, not least why anyone would want to murder him so callously. What you did robbed Brian Low, Pamela Curran and Brian Low’s family of the life he had planned for retirement.

Douglas Low says, “He touched many lives with his warmth and presence, and those who loved him now live in sorrow, trying to come to terms with the cruel reality of his absence”.

Brian Low was clearly a much loved partner, brother, uncle, friend and colleague. It is obvious that no sentence I can impose will be enough to help Brian Low’s loved ones with their traumatic loss.

David Campbell, you are 77 years old and, at the time of the murder, were 75.  You have no previous convictions. This appalling and senseless act of extreme wickedness casts a shadow over what seems to have been a long life spent by you in gainful employment and some benefit to the community.

Understandably, Mr Lenehan was simply unable to find anything to say on your behalf today in view of the jury’s verdict.

The sentence for murder is prescribed by law and is a life sentence.  I require, however, to specify a punishment part which is the period you must serve before you can be considered for parole.  Having regard to the premeditated nature of this murder, I have decided that the appropriate punishment part is 19 years. That takes into account all relevant factors, including your age. Had it not been for your age, the punishment part would have been greater.

You should understand that this is not a sentence of 19 years imprisonment.  It is a life sentence.  19 years represents the minimum time you will have to serve before you can even be considered for parole.  Given the date when the sentence will commence, that period of 19 years will keep you in prison to the age of 94 at least. Whether you are released then or ever will be a matter for the Parole Board to determine after that 19 year period has elapsed, based on the risk you are assessed to pose at that time.

The sentence will date from 27 May 2024.”

25 February 2026