His death is one of the most sustainable mysteries in Scotland and has given rise to a large number of conspiracy theories of involvement of secret services to claims of a pedophile ring that works in the heart of the Scottish establishment.
Now, 40 years after his fall, campaigners have made new calls for a court -led investigation into the death of controversial lawyer and nationalist Willie Mcrae.
On April 5, 1985, McRae left his Glasgow Flat at 6.30 pm to spend the weekend in his house in Ardelve in Ross-Shire, but he never arrived.
His chestnut Volvo Saloon, which had gone 27 meters from the A87 near Ingarry and stretches over a burn, was found the next morning at 10 am by two Australian tourists. McRae lived but unconscious with a wound in his temple.
They marked a second car with four passengers, including a doctor and then SNP Dundee -councilor David Coutts, who knew McRae.
McRae, ex-Vice chairman of the Scottish National Party, was transferred to the Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and then Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where medical staff discovered a bullet wound in his head.
He then died.
The creepy matter, steeped in inconsistencies, conflicting testimonies and criticism of how McRae's death was investigated, everyone continues to intrigue crime writer Sir Ian Rankin to former policemen.
Lawyer and nationalist Willie Mcrae died on 5 April 1985, in unusual circumstances
Macrae was found in his Volvo near the A87 near Invergarry, Inverness-Shire
It is dramatized in two plays, the subject of a channel 4 -documentary and a book, Firebrand, by Ron Culley.
Now it has arisen that former prime minister Alex Salmond was about to ask the Scottish government to open a fatal accident investigation (FAI) in the death of McRae, just a few months before his own death last October.
However, that intention did not died with Mr Salmond. Campaigners, including political lobbyist and former councilor David Coutts, who belonged to people who had been on the spot when McRae's body would like to insist on a FAI.
As author Mr Culley, prepared to tackle a memorial event on the occasion of the birthday of the death of McRae, he told the post on Sunday: 'Alex Salmond called me. He was convinced that there were so many coincidences and contradictions that a public investigation was needed. '
The memorial event in honor of McRae's memory was held yesterday where he was found, in Loch Loyne in the Highlands.
McRae, who was a lieutenant commander and assistant-de-camp to Admiraal Lord Mountbatten during the Second War, stood for parliament as the SNP candidate for Ross and Cromarty in 1974 and lost with only 600 votes.
He successfully campaigned against the plans of the Atomic Energy Authority of the United Kingdom to dump nuclear waste in the Hills of Galloway.
He had no shortage of enemies after his campaigns against dumping nuclear waste, drug trafficking on the west coast, and claims that he had evidence of sexual abuse by men in high places.
Ron Culley, who wrote about the case, at the Willie Macrae Memorial in Loch Loyne
Even now – 40 years later – Mr Coutts lively reminds himself of that fateful day and told the post on Sunday: “He still had his safety belt on. We could not open the driver's door and had to pull him through the passenger side. '
A post-mortem concluded suicide, but asking for decades about the position of the bullet wound-officially reported that he was above the right ear, but contradicted by a nurse who attended the patient who said McRae had been shot in the neck of his neck.
To be too muddy the waters, the gun was not found when the scene was first visited by the police but the following week.
Officers reported differently that the gun was found on various meters of the car, among the driver's door and the passenger door.
“Death is certainly controversial and I don't believe he has committed suicide – how could he have it if the gun was found outside the car scissors while he was still imprisoned?” Said Mr Coutts, who wrote to the lawyer -general of Scotland, Peter Fraser, later Lord Fraser van Carmyllie, Lord Advocate, asked for a deadly accident investigation (FAI), but the decision was made not to order it.
“There should now be a FAI to determine what happened, because there are still hundreds of questions to answer,” Mr Coutts added.
One of those who attended yesterday's event was Donald Blair, McRae's driver. He is convinced that the 61-year-old has been executed and pronounced after claims that he was murdered to prevent him from identifying controversial sex offenders.
'Willie may have told me perhaps two or three years before his death that he had encountered information about a pedophile ring in the Scottish judiciary. He was shocked by it, “he said.
Silence theorists also point to McRae's alleged involvement in the Scottish National Liberation Army, who used violence to promote the cause of independence – and that the security services were supervised him.
Constable Donald Morrison of the police of Strathclyde, who was one of the last people who saw him alive, claims that the special branch had followed the activities of McRae.
Mr. Morrison said, “I believe that what happened was a murder sanctioned by the state.”
Event organizer and member of Yes Highlands and Islands Pete Smith said: “Willie McRae took a huge secret of his grave and we plan to seek justice by demanding a public inquiry into the case.”
