A woman who went undercover with detectives after her fiancé confessed to killing a cyclist has told Sky News she fears he will hunt her down one day.
Caroline Muirhead single-handedly helped solve the mystery surrounding Tony Parsons who vanished near Bridge of Orchy in Argyll and Bute during a 103-mile solo trek through the Scottish Highlands in September 2017.
After three years of frantic police searches, involving mountain rescue teams, the investigation came to nothing.
In an exclusive broadcast interview, the 32-year-old doctor told Sky News she went to police in November 2020 after her then partner Alexander McKeller drunkenly confessed to mowing down and killing the cancer survivor.
Caroline has shared a video with Sky News of the pair together in a car moments before the truth came out.
She describes seeing a police car passing and Alexander flinching with nerves.
She said: “The whole dynamic in the car felt awkward. I pulled over… and asked what was wrong. He told me to give him my phone and keys.”
Caroline recalled that she thought to herself: “You’re in the middle of nowhere. You’re in danger here.”
Image: Victim Tony Parsons
She said he then blurted out: “It was an accident. We killed a man a few years ago. This guy’s on the estate. You jog past him most days.”
Advertisement
Alexander (also known as Sandy) and his twin brother Robert McKeller, who was a passenger in the car, failed to call 999 before concealing Tony’s remains in nearby farmland used for disposing of dead animals.
In the aftermath of the confession, Alexander led Caroline to the burial site where she dropped a Red Bull can as a marker.
“He literally just lights a cigarette and taps around and goes ‘here’. I just threw this Red Bull can over my right shoulder. I went back to pick it up after Sandy accused me of littering.
“It was frosty. I crunched the can into the ground because…there’s no other way you’d ever know where that man was.”
Muirhead, who is a pathologist, became the prosecution’s key witness but now alleges detectives forced her to continue spying on the twins for nine months to help build as strong a case as possible.
The 32-year-old alleges officers in the Bridge of Orchy area leaked key evidence revealing the vital part she was secretly playing in the criminal inquiry.
She claims there was a moment in the local pub where her cover was blown: “And the guy behind the bar goes….’do you want a Red Bull sugar free like the gravesite’.
“Then people started spitting at me. I walked into the pub and everyone went silent. The woman told me I was not welcome.”
Criticising Police Scotland’s handling of her evidence, Caroline said: “I have not just been manipulated by being lied to. I’ve been violated. I’ve been abused and taken advantage of.
“I literally gave them as much as I could above and beyond. They never saw me as a human. They terrorised me. They intimidated me. They took me out of my job. Here I am, I’ve lost my job. I’ve lost my possessions. My family are terrified.”
Image: Caroline Muirhead and Alexander McKeller when they were together
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on these assertions as criminal proceedings have not concluded.
“There are a number of outstanding complaints which will be progressed at the conclusion of all criminal proceedings.”
Caroline told Sky News she has been offered 24 hour security cameras at the Glasgow home she shares with her parents amid concerns for her welfare.
She agrees “100%” that one day Sandy could harm her upon his release from prison.
Image: The Red Bull can used to mark the grave of Tony Parsons. Pic: Crown Office
“You’re telling me that man is not going to come knock on my door when he gets out.”
Ms Muirhead is now demanding greater support and protection for witnesses in High Court trials.
Sky News understands she has met lawyers and is exploring the option of taking legal action against criminal justice authorities in Scotland.
Tony Parsons’ family described him as “a much-loved husband, dad and grandad”.
Image: An aerial view of the Auch Estate where Mr Parsons was buried. Pic: Crown Office
In a previous statement they said: “When he said goodbye and set off on his charity cycle from Fort William that Friday, none of us expected it to be the last time we would be able to see or speak to him.
“As you can imagine, not knowing what has happened to someone and then the devastating news that we were provided has taken its toll on all of us as a family.”
Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.
“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.
However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.
“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.
“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”
She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”
More on Electoral Dysfunction
Related Topics:
A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.
It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.
Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.
The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Image: Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Image: Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Image: Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Image: Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Image: Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
More on Ryan Reynolds
Related Topics:
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
X
This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to X cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow X cookies for this session only.
Image: Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.