Man reappears in court charged with dog walker murder

The former head gamekeeper accused of murdering an ex-colleague with a shotgun has been granted bail during a second court appearance.

David Campbell is alleged to have killed former estate worker Brian Low, 65, while he walked his dog near his home in Aberfeldy in February.

Campbell, 75, was granted bail after an hour-long hearing in private by Sheriff Clair McLachlan at Perth Sheriff Court.

The Crown has lodged an appeal against the decision and Campbell will remain in custody until the outcome of that, which can take up to 72 hours.

Mr Low’s death was initially believed to be a medical matter but further investigations led to Campbell’s arrest last month.

Campbell, 75, appeared on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court last Monday and was remanded in custody for further examination at that stage.

He was taken to Dundee Sheriff Court initially for his second appearance, but the case was then transferred to Perth and he was moved there via Forfar in the afternoon.

The petition alleges Campbell, of Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, murdered Mr Low by shooting him in the head and body with a shotgun at a place called Leafy Lane, near the Pitilie track, on February 16, 2024.

Prosecutors claim he killed former Edradynate estate worker Mr Low, having previously shown ill-will and malice towards him.

Campbell is further accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice between 16 February and 24 May by hiding the alleged murder weapon.

He made no plea and was fully committed for trial during the second appearance, when he was represented by solicitor David Holmes.

There has been an increase in police activity throughout the Aberfeldy area since Campbell’s arrest. Sniffer dogs have been used in the area to help the search.

Mr Low’s body was found in the Pitillie area of Perthshire on February 17, three days before his 66th birthday.

Mr Low retired last year after working as a groundsman on the 4,000-acre Edradynate Estate for more than two decades.

Investigators have visited nearly 500 homes and checked more than 2,400 hours of CCTV footage from 56 cameras as part of their probe.