Police are launching an “independent review” of their investigation into the death of a Dundee boy in a crash 35 years ago.
Danny Leech, seven, was knocked down by a lorry while crossing Arbroath Road near Albert Street in 1989.
The collision was treated as an accident, but his family believe the police investigation was not handled properly.
In recent years, they have been chasing answers about what happened that day and urging police to reopen the case – including putting billboards up around Dundee in the hope new witnesses might come forward.
Earlier this month, the family submitted a “dossier” outlining their concerns to Police Scotland.
Now the force has committed to review the case with the help of an officer who has no connection to Tayside.
The Leech family say their fight for justice is now “gaining momentum” but are still unhappy at the terms of the review.
Danny Leech: What was included in Dundee dossier?
The dossier included:
- Concerns about the validity of a statement taken by officers and attributed to Danny’s cousin Karen Martin, who witnessed the tragedy at the age of 13
- Evidence from independent specialists Forensic Collision Investigation and Reconstruction
- New eyewitness accounts from the scene of the crash
Danny’s brother John told The Courier he is “grateful” for this latest development but remains critical of the police’s approach.
He said: “While our fight for justice is gaining momentum, how can the police be trusted to give an unbiased view?
“The force cannot independently investigate their own.
“For them to come back and say it’s being dealt with by an officer from outwith this area is nonsense.
“A lead figure in the previous correspondence was from Stornoway and we know how that ended.
“Instead of wasting both our time, they need to make contact with me and speak to the actual witnesses that I have.”
John claims there were flaws in both the original investigation and a more recent review of how it was handled, including allegations that police did not speak to the lorry driver and that paperwork relating to the case appeared “many years” after the crash.
‘Independent review’ of Danny Leech case to be carried out by roads policing officer
The Leech family previously complained to Police Scotland’s professional standards department about the original Tayside Police probe.
After being dissatisfied with its outcome, they took the case to police watchdog Pirc, which ruled the case had been handled to a “reasonable standard”.
However, an email was sent by Police Scotland to John this week, which said: “The decision has been taken that an independent review of the investigation will be undertaken.
“This will be conducted by a roads policing senior investigating officer augmented by our collision investigation unit.”
It is understood the roads officer will be from another division in Scotland with no previous Tayside connection.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that information was received on Friday June 14 and this will be assessed.”
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