Pam Curran, whose partner Brian Low was fatally shot by his former gamekeeper colleague David Campbell, has shared the devastating realization that her partner was murdered. Police initially classified Low's death as non-suspicious, a mistake that allowed Campbell to evade capture for four days following the Feb. 16, 2024, shooting.
Low, 65, was shot with a shotgun by Campbell, 77, while walking his dog Millie on a secluded track near his home in Aberfeldy, Scotland. Campbell had become convinced Low had planted evidence to frame him for poisoning birds of prey. He confronted Low on his e-bike, leading to the fatal shooting.
Campbell was found guilty of murder at the High Court in Glasgow in February and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 19 years. Low's death was only recognized as a murder when gun pellets were discovered as his body was being prepared for a post-mortem examination. A pathologist confirmed the cause of death as gunshot wounds. Police Scotland later apologized to Low's family for their investigative shortcomings.
Curran, Low's partner of 23 years, is detailing her experience in the new BBC documentary series "Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker." She described the initial news of Low's death as a "great shock."
"When I said I had seen Brian on the Friday night, I fully believed I had because I always see him when I finish work," Curran said in the documentary. "But when I realised he'd laid there all night I felt really, really bad because I think well if I'd missed him and went looking for him." She added that she has "so many unanswered questions like did Brian see the person? Did he die quickly?"
Initially, Curran told investigators she heard Low speaking to his dog at 6:40 a.m. on Feb. 17, the morning his body was discovered. However, prosecutors determined the shooting occurred the previous afternoon. Curran noted in court that her altered recollection was understandable given the circumstances: "Would you be thinking straight at these times?" she asked.
Low's granddaughter, Mia Curran, who was 17 at the time of the murder, also shared her grief. "I was angry more than I was sad at first. How dare somebody take him away," she recalled. Pam Curran added, "To deliberately murder somebody, it's unbelievable."
During the trial, Campbell himself called the police investigation a "monumental shambles." The court heard that Campbell harbored a "festering grievance" against Low, whom he accused of planting evidence to implicate him in wildlife crimes. Campbell, a former head gamekeeper, and Low, a groundsman, had worked together at Edradynate estate. Campbell disabled CCTV cameras and covered a doorbell camera before carrying out the killing.
Prosecutor Greg Farrell told the jury that Campbell "hunted Brian Low down like he was quarry" in a "brazen, brutal and planned execution at a rural spot, a cowardly ambush motivated by nothing more than sheer malice."
Curran described waiting for the verdict as "scary." Upon seeing Campbell in court, she observed, "I was quite surprised at how small a man he looked in that court," and thought, "you're not going to intimidate me Dave Campbell."
Campbell changed his bicycle tires after the killing in an attempt to conceal his involvement, but soil samples from the bike later placed him at the murder scene. The judge, Lord Scott, sentencing Campbell, called the killing an "appalling and senseless act of extreme wickedness" and told Campbell, "You robbed her of the chance to say goodbye."