Attempt to have son declared dead

Adam Alexander's body has never been found

The mother of a man who is believed to have been murdered has launched a court attempt to have him declared dead.

Adam Alexander, from Errol, Perthshire, has not been seen since November 1999 and initially his disappearance was treated as a missing persons case.

However, in September 2007 detectives announced they had received information to suggest he had been murdered and a man was arrested.

Despite police efforts, Mr Alexander's body has never found.

Field searched

Mr Alexander, who was 38 at the time of his disappearance, was due to meet someone interested in buying his motorbike at his home in Errol on 14 November 1999, but did not keep the appointment.

Following the information to suggest he was murdered, searches of a field close to Errol Brickworks were carried out.

A ground penetration radar system was used but Mr Alexander's body was not found.

Now Mr Alexander's mother, Patricia Bremner, has lodged a petition at Perth Sheriff Court to have her son formally declared dead.

The court papers said: "An action has been raised in Perth Sheriff Court by Patricia Bremner to declare that Adam Neil Alexander McTavish (known as Adam Neil Alexander), whose last known address was Atholl Cottage, Main Street, Errol, is dead.

"Any person wishing to defend the action must apply to do so by appearing at Perth Sheriff Court on 25 February."