Twin brothers in court charged with murder of charity cyclist in Scotland

Twin brothers have appeared in court in Scotland charged with the murder of charity cyclist Anthony Parsons.

Alexander and Robert McKellar, 29, both stand accused of conspiracy to murder, murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Both men, from Argyll & Bute, appeared in private at Dunbarton Sheriff Court this morning, with Alexander McKellar also charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Neither entered a plea, and both have been remanded in custody.

Mr Parsons, known as Tony, was reported missing on Monday 2 September 2017.

The previous Friday, he had travelled by train to Fort William, from where he set out on a 104-mile charity bike ride back home to Tillicoultry, Stirlingshire. 

He was last seen at around 11.30pm on the evening of Friday 29 September 2017 outside the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, Argyll & Bute.

Repeated searches and appeals revealed no trace of either Mr Parsons, aged 63 at the time of his disappearance, or his bike.

His body was discovered more than three years later on 12 January last year, a week after Police Scotland had set up a major incident at a farm yard on the Auch Estate near Bridge of Orchy in connection with the investigation.

The search followed the arrests on 30 December last year of two 29-year-old men who were subsequently released while enquiries continued, although after Mr Parsons’ remains were found, police said that proceedings had been initiated under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.

Detective Inspector John McFall of the Major Investigations Team who led the inquiry team said: “I would like to offer my thanks to the local community for all their help and assistance throughout this investigation and to those who came forward with significant information.”

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