Man sentenced for Tillicoultry cyclist death

A man has been sentenced to for his role in the death of a charity cyclist from Tillicoultry.

63-year-old Tony Parsons was hit by a car driven by Alexander McKellar on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy in 2017.

His twin, Robert, helped to bury the body.

Parsons' body was only found in January 2021.

Alexander will serve 12 years behind bars.

His brother Robert has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

Alexander McKellar admitted culpable homicide, while they both pled guilty to defeating the ends of justice.

At the time of the convictions, Detective Inspector Fraser Spence, of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, said: “The brutal and uncaring actions of these men left the family of Mr Parsons distraught, not knowing what had happened to him for many years. It appeared that he had just disappeared into thin air.

“A major policing operation was carried out to try to find Mr Parsons, including searches over a vast and remote area near to where he was last seen.

“Despite exhaustive investigation work carried out by officers and extensive coverage in the media, the brothers did not come forward to disclose what happened.

“In December 2020, information provided to officers led to the brothers being arrested and then charged. Further searches were carried out and in January 2021 human remains were found in a remote area of ground close to a farm near the A82. These were identified as Anthony Parsons.

“Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Mr Parsons and I hope that the court outcome now gives them some kind of closure.

“I would like to thank the local community for all their help and assistance during this complex investigation and to members of the public who came forward and provided information.

“I would also like to pay tribute to all the officers who worked on this case and to the dedicated work carried out over many years to bring these men to justice.”