Criminal Jigsaw

The jury which found Davd Gilroy guilty of murdering his former lover - Suzanne Pilley - came to the correct decision I'm sure even without the victim's body and without any witnesses to this terrible crime.

The case against David Gilroy was purely circumstantial - but the facts surrounding Suzanne Pilley's sudden disappearance allowed the police to piece together a powerful case - which allowed a jury to come to the only logical conclusion - that she was murdered.

David Gilroy was a liar - he had shown that already by lying to his wife about his affair with Suzanne Pilley - a work colleague.

Now being a liar doesn't mean you are a murderer - but David Gilroy lied again to the police by pretnding to have had no contact with Suzanne Pilley in the days leading up to her disappearance.

Whereas the police investigation showed that Gilroy had bombarded Suzanne Pilley's phone with 400 text messages - a sure sign of a crazed and deceitful person.

A highly specialised police dog - trained to find the scent of death and dead bodies - was used to pinpoint an area in the basement of the building - where David Gilroy and Suzanne Pilley both worked.

Now what odds would you get on that? 

David Gilroy also had what looked suspiciously like scratches and marks on his hands and face - which he tried to conceal from the police and could not otherwise explain.

David Gilroy also had the opportunity to dispose of Suzanne Pilley's body - the day after she disappeared - when he went on a sudden 'business trip' to Argyll in his car.

But Gilroy could not account satisfactorily to the police for certain discrepancies in this journey - over the time he took and the number of miles he claimed to have driven.

Finally David Gilroy did not give evidence on his own behalf - which was his right - one that prevented him from being questioned by the prosecution.

Yet his decision also meant Gilroy was unable to offer any logical explanation - for the trail of damning facts and evidence uncovered by the police investigation - into Suzanne Pilley's mysterious disappearance.

So I am left with nothing but admiration for the work carried out by the police and prosecuting authorities.

Because they have brought a cold blooded killer to justice - one who must have thought he had committed the perfect murder by spiriting away and disposing of his victim's body.

I only hope that as he contemplates spending the rest of his life in prison - David Gilroy will face up to what he has done and tell the police where Suzanne Pilley is buried - so that her family can lay her to rest and find some kind of peace.