George Murdoch: Reward over 1983 Aberdeen murder doubled to £50,000

A reward for information about the brutal murder of an Aberdeen taxi driver 39 years ago has been doubled to £50,000 by relatives.

George "Dod" Murdoch, 58, was found dead beside his taxi on 29 September 1983.

A cheese wire had been used as a garrotte during the attack.

The family has now offered the increased financial incentive for information leading to a conviction in the unsolved murder case.

Mr Murdoch had picked up a fare in Aberdeen's west end and told his control room he was heading to Culter.

About two miles into the journey, he turned off on to Pitfodels Station Road, on the outskirts of the city, where he was assaulted.

Two young cyclists saw him being attacked and raised the alarm, but officers arrived too late.

His money and wallet were stolen in the attack but police could not say if this had been the motive.

Mr Murdoch's wife Jessie - who died in 2004 - worried about his safety, but he told her he would never resist a robber.

Mr Murdoch's nephew Alex McKay said the family remained "hopeful".

'Sense of duty'

Mr McKay, 65, told BBC Scotland: "We've had a number of tips and information that the police have been following up. I don't want to get overly optimistic, but I'm certainly not pessimistic about it.

"We're probably the last generation that has that close link to my uncle Dod and aunt Jessie. It's almost like a sense of duty for us. We loved him so much and we have to keep moving this forward for as long as we possibly can until the murderer is caught."

Of the increased reward money, he said: "We don't believe the public are motivated by money. But what we do think about the additional monies is that maybe somebody who has a real close allegiance to the killer knows about it and we think there are probably a few people who do.

"It might just be something - a tipping point for them. Certainly in today's current economic climate, it may well just be that."

He said the recent conviction in another cold case - the Renee MacRae murder - offered them hope.

"There's always a chance," he said. "And more and more cold cases are being solved nowadays, so hope is eternal for us."

Police said last week they wanted to identify a man seen in Wilson's Sports Bar on Market Street in Aberdeen in September 2015.

He was wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt and was described as being small, stocky, in his 60 or 70s and local to Aberdeen.

Officers believe he believe may be able to help with the inquiry.

Anyone who has not come forward previously who believes they can assist the investigation is asked to contact 101 or e-mail a dedicated inbox at SCDHOLMESAberdeen@scotland.police.uk.