Dunblane Unburied (Paperback)

I am the current Director of the Sportsman's Association of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (the SA). The SA was formed in September 1996 to defend the legitimate sport of target pistol shooting which was under legislative threat following the atrocity committed at Dunblane by Thomas Hamilton.

The SA commissioned its own booklet entitled: Dunblane, The Untold Truths. I was involved in the production of that booklet. The booklet concentrated on the firearms aspects of the case and detailed the 18 mistakes in application of the then existing firearms laws in Hamilton's case made by the Central Scotland Police over a period of over 18 years from 1977, when Hamilton received his first Firearm Certificate up to the day of the massacre. This information was sufficient to demonstrate that Hamilton was not a fit person to be entrusted with firearms and that he should never have been granted a Firearm Certificate to enable him to possess guns 'legally'.

The failure of the Central Scotland Police to carry out their duties properly had disastrous consequences for those in the school on that day and for their families and for all those affected by the massacre. It also had consequences for decent people everywhere.

Sandra Uttley's book covers a much broader range of topics than did our own booklet and reflects the high quality of the research she has carried out, frequently in the face of obfuscation and obstruction from the 'authorities.'

We are also indebted to the persistence of Mrs Doreen Hagger (who tried for many years to get the authorities interested in Hamilton's activities with young boys - as described in the book) and of Mr William Scott who, single-handedly and after many years of effort, got the authorities to admit that they had no legal authority to place the 100 year closure order on the Dunblane documents.

I have been to the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh and seen some of the redacted evidence that is now available to the public following Mr Scott's efforts but this evidence, at least, the bits I have seen, do not tell us much that was not already known. However, Mr Scott and Miss Uttley have managed to obtain the statement made by the off-duty police officer who was present at the school just as the shooting stopped. His evidence about the state of Hamilton's body, how he was clothed, the number and type of pistols he had on or near him at the time differed significantly from that of the Scene of Crime Officer who attended the scene some hours later. the off-duty police officer's evidence was not even presented to the Inquiry nor was the officer asked to testify at the Inquiry. You may say: 'So what? If Hamilton murdered all those children and their teacher, does it matter how many guns he brought with him or how much ammunition he had or, even, how he actually died?' It only matters if the evidence was deliberately tampered with (as would appear to be the case judging by the book. One has to ask why that should have been done and that, alone, is cause for serious concern in my view.

There are many other indications in the book to support the view that the Public Inquiry just did not discharge its official remit, particularly with regard to the persistent rumours that Hamilton had some part in paedophilia in the region. A further inquiry is needed to either substantiate or quell, once and for all, those rumours.

The reluctance of the authorities to finish this job, taken in conjunction with their original imposition of the 100 year closure order, indicates to me that they have 'something to hide.' It is time this matter was properly investigated.

I recommend this book as a source of well-researched information to enable you to make up your own mind about the Dunblane Massacre. Ihope that you will read the book and then proceed to pressurise your own MP, wherever you live in the UK, to 'do something about it.'