This piece was first posted to the CyberShooters mailing list, which see. For my comment on what Cullen and the press said in 1996, see "Hamilton and the Masons."
Johnny <johnny@dvc.org.uk>
Tuesday, 16th September 1997
Good evening to all CyberShooters, and naturally, our Police Monitors…
It has long been a regular source of concern that Thomas Hamilton's involvement with central Scottish Police extended far beyond that of his well publicized altercations with the local firearms department. It is generally known that both Hamilton and McMurdo, the former Chief Constable, were members of the same Masonic Lodge. In addition, McMurdo's former police driver has made a statement to a member of Parliament to the effect that McMurdo visited Hamilton on a private social basis about every two weeks.
It has always been a source of wonder as to how Thomas Hamilton was able to keep his firearms certificate in the face of at least eight separate investigations by junior officers who all concluded that he was of unsound character to possess firearms. Surprisingly, someone in authority stonewalled all such efforts to disarm Hamilton. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the writing on the wall. McMurdo was protecting Hamilton.
One must wonder what Hamilton was doing for McMurdo in return for all these favours.
According to an English newspaper, during the verbal evidence to the Cullen Enquiry, two junior policemen announced their intention to give evidence against `an un-named senior police officer'. The newspaper went on to state that the two junior officers were then forbidden to give such evidence before Lord Cullen, on the orders of their chief constable. Lord Cullen was apparently not amused, but by the terms of the enquiry he could not compel the junior officers to give their evidence.
A number of investigators are determined not to let this matter rest and at least one Labour MP is continuing to gather evidence. The following has been privately told to me by a police officer: After the shootings at the school, the local police immediately raided Thomas Hamilton's home. They found incriminating and extensive files written by Thomas Hamilton with accompanying photographs and video tape evidence. The files showed widespread paedophile activity amongst certain senior police officers and a number of prominent public figures. Dunblane police were in the process of removing those files when a Special Branch team arrived informing the local police that the matter was now one of `national security', and ordered that all local police officers leave without the files. My police informant said that this matter still rankled with the Dunblane police, and that they were later told to keep quiet or lose their pension.
The story has been passed to several investigative journalists, one of which has already independently confirmed some of the details.
I have written to Jack Straw and his minister Alun Michael, indicating that new evidence has surfaced in the matter of Thomas Hamilton and his "friends". Their only response has been a standard brush-off letter from a minion at the Home Office.
I would urge all CyberShooters to write to their MPs and demand a Parliamentary inquiry into this grotesque cover-up. Our American friends may want to write or phone the local British embassy and express their disgust.
Stu <trustu@post.flexnet.net>