Drink driver who killed charity cyclist and hid body jailed for 12 years

A motorist who killed charity cyclist Tony Parsons in a drink driving collision, before hiding his body in a shallow grave on a remote country estate, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

31-year-old Alexander McKellar was speeding at the time of the fatal collision in September 2017, which took place on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy. McKellar, along with twin brother Robert, a passenger in the car at the time, left Mr Parsons to die, before later returning to dispose of the 63-year-old’s body in a grave at the nearby Auch Estate. His remains were found over three years later.

In July, Alexander McKellar pleaded guilty at Glasgow’s High Court to the reduced charge of culpable homicide, while both brothers admitted trying to defeat the ends of justice.

Robert McKellar was also jailed today for five years and three months.

> Motorist admits killing charity cyclist in drink driving collision and burying body

Mr Parsons – who was 63 when he was reported missing – was last seen at around 11.30pm on the evening of 29 September 2017 outside the Bridge of Orchy Hotel in Argyll and Bute.

The former navy officer was in the middle of a 104-mile charity bike ride from Fort William to his home in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, in a bid to “give something back” after previously being treated for prostate cancer.

Despite repeated police appeals, Crimewatch appearances, the release of CCTV footage, and extensive searches – involving local mountain rescue teams, volunteers, Police Scotland dogs, and the force’s air support unit – the whereabouts of the grandfather or his bike remained a mystery for over three years.

Alexander McKellar (Police Scotland)

But after Alexander McKellar confided in his girlfriend and showed her the grave, the brothers were arrested in December 2020, with Mr Parsons’ remains finally being discovered on 12 January 2021 close to a remote farm on the Auch Estate.

Glasgow’s High Court has heard over the past month, following the brothers’ guilty pleas, that on the day of the incident they had been drinking with a shooting party at the Bridge of Orchy hotel. As Alexander McKellar drove back to the Auch Estate, where the brothers were self-employed farm workers, he hit Mr Parsons.

Following the collision on the A82, the brothers failed to seek medical attention, which prosecutors said showed “wicked and reckless disregard” for the consequences.

> Family of cyclist who went missing on charity ride to sue driver who killed him then hid body

The court heard that the cyclist’s injuries were so severe that he would only have survived for 20 or 30 minutes without help, but that it was also unlikely that he had died instantly. He suffered “catastrophic” rib, pelvic, and spinal fractures in the collision, as well as a probable collapsed lung, with his rib injuries believed to be the “most immediate cause of death” due to the effect on his breathing.

The brothers initially abandoned Mr Parsons at the side of a dark, remote road before driving to the Auch Estate, where they dumped the damaged car, along with their phones. The pair later returned to put the cyclist’s body, along with his bike and other belongings, in another vehicle.

Robert McKellar (Police Scotland)

Mr Parsons’ body was then allegedly hidden under a tarpaulin in a wooded section, before being taken to another location used for the “purposes of disposing dead animals”. The brothers then dug a grave and covered the cyclist with animal remains and bleach before being burying him along with his possessions.

When the brothers took the vehicle they were travelling in at the time of the collision for repairs, they claimed that the damage had been caused by a collision with a deer.

Mr Parsons’ body was only discovered after Alexander McKellar’s girlfriend Caroline Muirhead alerted police to the location by leaving a crushed tin of Red Bull at the site of the grave.

Last week, it was reported that Ms Muirhead is to take legal action against Police Scotland after claiming that officers allegedly pressured her to continue to spy on the McKellar brothers, who did not know she had contacted the police, in a bid to collect more evidence.

It is also alleged that officers threatened Ms Muirhead with legal action if she did not cooperate, with her complaints now reportedly being investigated by the police watchdog.

In an interview with Sky News, Muirhead said that she fears for her life, believing that her former fiancé would seek revenge for her actions once out of prison, especially if he was “drunk or intoxicated”.

> Woman who helped authorities find body of charity cyclist killed by her boyfriend now to sue police

Speaking at the sentencing today, Judge Lord Armstrong said the brothers had caused Mr Parsons’ family “devastating loss and emotional ongoing harm”.

“I suspect no sentence will ever be regarded as sufficient,” he said.

Brian McConnachie KC, the defence lawyer for Alexander McKellar, told the court that his client wanted to apologise for the family’s trauma.

“He is not an evil man,” McConnachie said. “He acknowledges that he has done a terrible thing which has caused untold distress to the Parsons family.

“He would do anything he could to alter the decision he took in September 2017, but he cannot rewind the clock.”

John Scullion KC, defending Robert McKellar, said he had exhibited “misplaced loyalty” towards his brother in trying to cover up the death.

“He bitterly regrets his callous and cowardly actions,” he said.