POLICE have launched a murder investigation after the “unexplained” death of a man found on a quiet back lane in a Scottish town.
It comes after officers were called out to reports of a person found with serious injuries on Bankton Lane in Livingston at around 2am on Thursday, September 26, 2024. A 50-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday, police named the victim as Gary Nicol, who was from Livingston.
Investigations have established that Nicol travelled to Bankton Lane late on Wednesday, September 25, arriving at around midnight. He drove in his black Ford Mondeo car, which had the registration plate GN02 GRN.
Following a post mortem examination on Friday, September 27, the death was being treated as unexplained.
Officers further said that Nicol's family are aware and are being supported by specially trained members of the force.
The 50-year-old’s family have asked that their privacy be “respected at this difficult time”, police said.
Police further said extensive enquiries continue to be carried out by officers from Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team. Officers from the local division and operational support units have also been involved in the investigation.
READ MORE: Police probe after five-week-old baby dies in 'unexplained' Glasgow incident
Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Pleasance, from Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team, said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Nicol's family and friends at this very difficult time.
"It is vital that we get answers for them and we are fully committed to tracing the person responsible as soon as possible.
"Our investigation into Mr Nicol’s death continues and I would urgently appeal to anyone with information who has not already spoken with us to please do so.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who saw a car of this description in the area around midnight or anyone or vehicles in and around the Bankton Lane area. We are trying to piece together Mr Nicol's movements prior to his body being found and would ask anyone with any information to contact officers.
"This is a challenging investigation and any piece of information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, could prove vital so please do pass it on."
READ MORE: Pro-Palestine activists smash windows and spray Glasgow building over 'Israel links'
Local area commander Chief Inspector Elaine McArthur-Kerr said: "We understand the significant impact this has had on the people of Livingston and there is a dedicated team of officers working on this investigation.
"I would like to reassure the community that officers are working hard to trace whoever is responsible, with CCTV footage being gathered from the surrounding area and door to door inquiries continuing.
"Detailed forensic work has been carried out and extensive searches of nearby woodland have been undertaken by specialist officers."
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting incident number 0278 of 26 September, 2024.
Police have also opened an online portal where people can submit information, which you can find here.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here