A former head gamekeeper convicted of murdering an ex-colleague with a shotgun has been refused permission to appeal against his conviction.
David Campbell, 77, fatally shot Brian Low, 65, on February 16 2024, after deliberately disabling CCTV cameras at his home in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, to conceal his movements. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years on February 25 2025, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
An initial notice of appeal was submitted on Campbell's behalf in March, but court officials confirmed on Friday that the appeal against conviction has been refused.
Background of the case
Campbell and Mr Low had both been employed at the Edradynate Estate, where Campbell served as head gamekeeper from May 1984 to February 2018, and Mr Low worked as a groundsman from August 2000 to February 2023.
The attack occurred at Leafy Lane near Pitilie, where Campbell confronted Mr Low, having previously shown malice and ill-will towards him. Mr Low sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
Judge's remarks
During sentencing, Judge Lord Scott described the killing as an "appalling and senseless act of extreme wickedness". He told Campbell: "You didn't encounter Brian Low by chance that day, and you didn't 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 him such severe injury that he died where he fell."
