MORE than 1,300 murders committed in Scotland remain unsolved, we can reveal.
The chilling catalogue of cold cases dates back to the 1960s.
It can be disclosed despite the Scots force’s boasts of a “world-leading” 100 per cent homicide detection rate.
A former senior detective warned many mysteries remain uncrackable despite advances in crime-fighting.
Graeme Pearson said: “You are going to meet cases where, no matter how professionally credible you are, you are not going to solve it.”
But the former Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency chief admitted breakthroughs in forensic science offered hope to victims’ loved ones — plus sleuths haunted by historic cases.
He said: “Very often the detectives have met with the family and been touched by their grief and sheer ordeal. Officers carry that burden with them.
“Changes in the investigative armoury, the capability of scientists to provide evidence has gone way beyond anything that could have been imagined in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Forensic scientists, I certainly hold in awe.”
Among the 1,310 victims yet to receive justice is dad-of-two banker Alistair Wilson — shot dead on his doorstep in 2004.
Cops have also yet to nail the killer of taxi firm boss Alexander Blue, found slumped in a pool of blood outside his home in 2002.
No one has been caged for the gangland execution of hood Tony McGovern, 35, two years earlier.
In another high-profile unsolved case, from 1996, Billy Weatherall, 32, was gunned down and his body dumped near a motorway.
Top cops have previously bragged about detecting all 605 Scots murders since the national force was established in 2013.
But they warned in October that they face axing staff due to a cash squeeze — leading to fears more killers will dodge justice.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton told of his horror at the mountain of unsolved deaths.
The MSP said: “These monstrous crimes have devastated hundreds of families. Every one of them deserves justice.
FOUR INFAMOUS CASES NEEDING CRACKED
Alistair Wilson – 2004
HE doorstep shooting of the banker, 30, in Nairn is likely the most high-profile unsolved slaying. After botched probes, a fresh one, Operation Sabine, has begun.
Alexander Blue – 2002
THE taxi boss, 41, was found in a pool of blood with horror head wounds in Dowanhill, Glasgow. Brother Billy said in 2022 cops had partial DNA. The Crown said the evidence was “insufficient”.
Tony McGovern – 2000
THE hood, 35, was an ex-best pal of crimelord Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson, 59. He was once wanted for McGovern’s shooting in Bolornock, Glasgow, but charges were dropped through lack of evidence.
Billy Weatherall – 1995
BILLY was shot repeatedly and his body found beside the M8 near Bishopton, Renfrewshire. It was rumoured he agreed to testify at a prison riot trial, which collapsed after his execution.
“Hopefully cold case reviews and cutting-edge forensics will see convictions secured.”
Tory shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr insisted keeping streets safe now should be cops’ top priority but added: “Getting to the bottom of cold cases is also essential for victims and the bereaved.”
Police Scotland insisted all murders are “continually kept under review” in case fresh evidence emerges.
A spokesman explained: “We understand how devastating it is for loved ones to never know why a homicide happened or who may have been responsible.
“Police Scotland never considers cases closed and the passage of time alone is no barrier to the investigation of homicide cases.”
