Six-figure payout over charity cyclist killing

The family of a charity cyclist who was killed by a drink driver and secretly buried in a shallow grave are to receive a six-figure compensation payout.

Tony Parsons, 63, was left to die on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy, Argyll and Bute, in September 2017 after he was struck by a speeding car driven by Alexander McKellar, known as Sandy.

McKellar and his twin brother Robert later hid the cyclist's body and his remains were not found for more than three years. Both men were jailed in 2023.

Solicitors for Mr Parsons' family have now agreed a settlement with the insurer of the car driven by McKellar.

The civil action case was settled out of court the day before a trial was due to begin at the Court of Session last week.

Gordon Dalyell, partner at Digby Brown Solicitors, said: "The manner of Tony's death and what happened subsequently was appalling and the pain of his loss understandably continues to cause huge distress to his loved ones.

"While compensation does not, in any way, heal the pain, it does help protect the futures of his relatives.

"I commend the strength of the Parsons family throughout this whole period as they try to move on with their lives."

Mr Parsons, a grandfather from Tillicoultry, in Clackmannanshire, had gone missing during a 104-mile (167km) charity bike ride from Fort William back to his home town.

He had previously been treated for prostate cancer and wanted to do the ride to raise money for charity to "give something back."

Sandy McKellar collided with Mr Parsons on the A82 between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum on 29 September 2017.

He did not seek medical assistance for the man, and the damaged car was dumped at the nearby Auch Estate along with the brothers' phones.

They returned in a truck to where Mr Parsons was still lying and placed him in the vehicle along with his bike and personal belongings.

The brothers went back to the Auch Estate and initially hid Mr Parsons' body in a part of the woods.

He was later taken to another location used for "the purposes of disposing dead animals".

The brothers then dug a grave and buried Mr Parsons along with his personal possessions.

Extensive searches were carried out in the area, involving local mountain rescue teams, volunteers, Police Scotland dogs and the force's air support unit.

Sandy McKellar later took his girlfriend to see the grave site in 2020 and confessed his crimes to her. She reported it to the police.

Mr Parsons' remains were eventually found in a remote area in January 2021.

The brothers had been due to stand trial accused of Mr Parsons' murder, but Sandy McKellar pled guilty to the reduced charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Glasgow in 2023.

His brother had his not guilty plea to murder accepted.

The pair both admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Sandy McKellar was jailed for 12 years and his brother Robert was jailed for five years and three months.

Mr Parsons' family previously said that not knowing what happened to the 63-year-old had taken its toll on the family.

In a statement read out in court in 2023, they described him as "a much-loved husband, dad and grandad".

They said: "When he said goodbye and set off on his charity cycle from Fort William that Friday, none of us expected it to be the last time we would be able to see or speak to him.

"Throughout the six years since he went missing and then the subsequent criminal investigation, we had been left with many unanswered questions and it has been heart-breaking for each and every member of the family being unable to get these answers.

"As you can imagine, not knowing what has happened to someone and then the devastating news that we were provided has taken its toll on all of us as a family."