The father of evil twins Alexander and Robert McKellar was convicted of keeping illicit hand guns and stocking a banned poison used for the extermination of wild animals.

Locals in Glen Coe have told how the twins, who worked as stalkers on a hunting estate, had been exposed to the killing of animals for much of their lives.

They showed an indifferent attitude to human life in their grotesque treatment of innocent Tony Parsons after he was mown down on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy in Argyll in 2017.

Tony left his home in Tillicoultry, in September, 2017, on a charity bike ride. The retired naval officer was never seen alive by his family again.

The McKellars, both 31, face jail for their parts in the shocking death of Tony, which they then covered up. Their dad Tom, who was a gamekeeper with the Auch Estate, was convicted in 2012 of stocking illegal and deadly poison carbofuran.

The poison was discovered when a search warrant was served at McKellar’s home after a golden eagle’s body was found, poisoned by the deadly substance. But he was not charged in connection with the eagle’s death.

During the search McKellar was also found to have two handguns in the loft of his home on the estate. One local said the boys had grown up in a life where shooting animals, trapping them was a way of life, part of the running of a shooting estate that protected the game bird and deer stocks.

He added: “They were both working on the land from a young age and soon working as deer stalkers, Their father was said to be highly regarded in the local community but the fact he had illegal guns and hugely toxic, illegal poison at his property didn’t exactly make him look like the best role model.”

The McKellars – who worked on the Auch Estate for a time with their father – were brought to justice after ­Alexander confessed to his girlfriend he’d knocked Tony down then buried him, with the help of Robert. The woman left a can of Red Bull at the peat bog as a marker then reported the crime to police.

The men eventually buried Tony’s body in a “death hole” that was full of the rotting remains of foxes, grouse and other animals that had been killed on the estate.

Both brothers were due to stand trial accused of murder but Alexander pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to reduced charges of culpable homicide and, along with his brother, attempting to defeat the ends of justice. They will be sentenced at a later date.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/dad-twins-who-killed-scots-30616182