A leading Scots crime expert is set to examine the mystery disappearance of Allan Bryant Jnr, who went missing after leaving a Fife nightclub almost nine years ago. The Glenrothes man’s case will feature on the BBC Scotland’s David Wilson Crime Files: Cold Cases on November 22 - broadcasting the day before what would have been Allan's 32nd birthday.
Allan’s heartbroken family, who believe he was murdered, have campaigned tirelessly in a bid to find answers as to what happened after he left Styx nightclub in November 2013. The latest examination of the case - spearheaded by criminologist Professor David Wilson - has been welcomed by the Bryant family, who say they continue to live in hope.
Dad Allan Snr, 56, told the Daily Record: “It’s absolutely amazing that they reached out to us to feature Allan’s case because it will keep him in the public eye and keeps pressure on the police as well. You just don’t know if someone is going to come forward or not, which is looking very unlikely now after all these years.
“We’re still holding on to that little bit of hope because that’s all we’ve got. We just can’t let it go otherwise everything we’ve done has been pointless. As the years go on, it’s getting harder and is affecting the mental health of the whole family.
“But hopefully one day, the person or people who know what happened to Allan will find it in their conscience to come forward.”
Professor David Wilson told how he was struck by the impact Allan’s disappearance had on the local community while noting a number of “odd” elements to the case. He said: “I work a lot with people who are the families of murdered or missing people and trying to find a way to help them resolve and find some form of closure is very, very difficult.
“Your heart really does go out to this particular family. There were a number of odd elements to this case and I just felt that there was enough here for the public to want to help. Cold cases can easily become hot again and that can happen in a variety of different ways.
“Recently, true crime podcasts have grown in popularity as well as there being advancements in forensic science. Old alliances that have kept secrets over the years can also break down, whether that’s because of a falling out or somebody dying, and that frees someone one up to be able to speak for the first time.
“We’ve recently seen that in the Renee MacRae case. The way to heat up cold cases is by giving them your attention. And that’s what we’ve done here. If Allan was still alive, surely he would have made contact. His bank accounts and social media haven’t been touched.
“That’s one of the things that we’ve looked at in the episode. In an age of social media, how easy is it to disappear? It’s almost impossible.”
Prof Wilson added: “When we were filming, there was so much interest from the local community. People were thanking us for shining a light on the case. I absolutely picked up silences and secrets and I thought, how hard must that be to do for nine months, never mind nine years?
“It did imply that maybe some of the alliances that created those secrets were still quite powerful. Hopefully this will be enough to unlock the case, in terms of finding a culprit or finding where Allan’s body might be. That would give closure to his family.”
Allan's disappearance sparked one of the biggest missing person investigations launched by Police Scotland. Speaking on the last anniversary, Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Houliston said: "We know that every anniversary that passes is another blow for the Bryant family and my thoughts are very much with them today.
“Finding Allan remains a priority and I can assure the local community that all new information, no matter how small, will be fully assessed and acted upon as appropriate. Once again I urge anyone who has information which could relate to Allan’s disappearance to report this as soon as possible."
Other cases examined in the ten-part series include the 2002 murder of Edinburgh woman Louise Tiffney, the brutal killing of Aberdeen taxi driver George Murdoch in 1983 and the tragic case of Moira Anderson.
The David Wilson Crime Files: Cold Cases’ is available to stream now on the BBC iPlayer and will also be broadcast on BBC Scotland.
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