The brother of Danny Leech, the Dundee schoolboy who died in an unexplained road tragedy in 1989, has relived the phone call he had with the driver of the lorry involved.
Seven-year-old Danny died on September 8, 1989, after being struck by the HGV as he crossed the busy Arbroath Road near its junction with Albert Street.
This summer Police Scotland launched an “independent review” of their investigation into the youngster’s death.
The collision was treated as an accident but Danny’s family, including brother John, believe the probe was not handled properly.
Colin Nicoll was driving the lorry and working for Lairds Trucking of Forfar at the time.
Mr Nicoll – who has never been charged with any offence – was allowed by the investigating officer to drive his lorry away from the scene.
It is claimed two children and a dog were in the cab of the lorry when the accident happened, despite there being only two seats.
Meanwhile, the road was reopened only half an hour after the tragedy.
Speaking on the 35th anniversary of Danny’s death, John recalled his exchange with Mr Nicoll on March 10, 2021.
The Phone Call
The lorry driver has never spoken publicly about the accident and The Courier has asked him for comment.
John told us: “I took it upon myself to go on Facebook, as people do.
“I passed on my mobile phone number. I said: ‘Would you mind giving me a call?’ And he did.”
John wanted to ask Mr Nicoll for an apology for his mum Linda, whose life was shattered by the events of that day in 1989.
He says: “To this day, my mother’s not the same person she was, and she never will be.
“My mother’s life ended that day.”
The phone call with Mr Nicoll, however, did not go as John had expected.
He explains: “The call began along the lines of, ‘You don’t know me, but my name is John Leech’.
“And that’s when it went quiet.”
John pressed on, seeking an apology for Linda but he did not get the response he was hoping for.
He claims the reply was blunt.
John says he was stunned, feeling a mixture of anger and disbelief.
The call only lasted around three minutes.
He says: “I felt like I was a kid in a playground. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t ready for his response.
“It wasn’t explained further. Thirty-odd years later…nothing
“All I wanted him to say was, ‘Tell your mother I’m sorry.’”
He adds: “I don’t regret making the call. I’m glad it happened and I’m also glad I ended the call when I did.”
Leech family battle
John has investigated his brother’s death for the past decade, challenging the claim Danny’s recklessness caused it.
Earlier this year, the family submitted a “dossier” outlining their concerns to Police Scotland.
Their correspondence included concerns about the validity of a statement taken by officers and attributed to Danny’s cousin Karen Martin, who witnessed the tragedy aged 13.
It appeared in police files four years later – stating Danny ran off the pavement and into the side of the lorry – and led to a civil court case against Mr Nicoll and his employer being dropped in 1993.
Karen denies ever making a statement.
She has always maintained her cousin was nearly on the pavement on the south side of the road when he was hit and pulled under the wheels of the lorry, which was allegedly on the wrong side of the road manoeuvring round the tight junction.
The new dossier also featured new eyewitness accounts from the crash scene and evidence from independent specialists Forensic Collision Investigation and Reconstruction.
‘Eerie feeling’
John says the family’s investigations, now being reviewed by senior road policing officers from Glasgow, undermine the official narrative.
He adds: “It’s a bit of nepotism, isn’t it? The police investigating their own – it’s not truly independent.”
The Leech family previously complained to Police Scotland’s professional standards department about the original Tayside Police probe.
They then took the case to police watchdog Pirc, which ruled the case was handled to a “reasonable standard”.
John – whose dad John Sr passed away aged 71 in May 2018 – was 12 when Danny died.
He remembers being told his younger sibling was in hospital and wanting to visit him to cheer him up.
By the time he arrived, Danny had succumbed to his injuries.
John says: “I went to my piggy bank and took two-pound coins out…to give them to Danny to make him feel better.
“At the hospital, I saw my mother, Karen [cousin] and my grandmother all huddled together.
“It was an eerie feeling.
“I don’t remember being told that Danny had died. I remember seeing Danny dead.
“I remember going into a room with my parents and seeing Danny lying there… it’s something I could have done without seeing.”
After that day, John says he lost part of his relationship with his mum and dad.
He adds: “My parents were there, but they weren’t there, if that makes sense.
“It was like a shell of them.”
Thirty-five years on, John is more determined than ever to push on in his fight for answers.
He says: “We know the truth and others know the truth. They need to come forward.
“The cracks are beginning to show.”
If you have any information regarding this case please contact brendan.duggan@dcthomson.co.uk.
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