Outrage over card campaign

Jan 10 2008

A KEY campaigner for the release of the two men convicted of the murder of Galston pensioner Margaret Irvine this week responded to critics who slammed his Christmas card campaign as “distasteful”.

The ‘Free the Killie 2’ group ended 2007 by mailing around 70 cards to pubs and businesses in the Irvine Valley town to thank thanking those who have come forward with information which could aid their case.

But the stunt attracted a sharp reaction from some local people, including the dead woman’s nephew Charles Keers.

Patrick Docherty, 43, of Dalmellington, and Brendan Dixon, 38, of Kilmarnock, were each jailed for a minimum of 25 years in March 2005, after a High Court jury found them guilty of killing the 91-year-old widow in her home in Barward Road.

Since then, Dixon’s brother-in-law Kevin Donald has been determinedly campaigning for their release, claiming that the case against them was “based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence”.

Mr Donald said this week that, while the cards had been intended to provoke “some kind of reaction”, their primary purpose had been to thank those who had already come forward with helpful information.

“First and foremost, that was what it was about,” he said.

“We wanted to thank the new people that has come forward.”

Mr Donald stressed that he and his fellow campaigners had no intention of upsetting the murdered woman’s family.

“That was the furthest thing from our mind,” he said.

And he vowed that the campaign would continue until the two are granted an appeal against their convictions.

Planned for later this year are a renewed leaflet campaign, targeted on Galston, and the printing of Free the Killie 2 t-shirts.

Mr Donald said that he expected that any appeal would not take place until the end of this year.

Dixon and Docherty were found guilty of murder after a five-week trial during which much of the prosecution evidence consisted of admissions they were said to have made to third parties, following the killing of Mrs Irvine in September 2003.

The campaigners for their release claim that a number of key witnesses in the case had themselves been questioned about the murder and that several had been proven to have lied while giving evidence.

Mrs Irvine was found dead in her bedroom by her carer at 4.50pm on September 28 2003 after what is thought to have been a botched robbery bid.

She had been gagged and had her hands tied behind her with a belt.

The cause of death was found to be asphyxia, caused by a duster placed in her mouth.