Gerard Devlin

Unsolved Murders

Age: 31

Sex: male

Date: 11 Jan 1987

Place: Ullswater, Lake Dsitrict

Gerard Devlin went missing on 23 December 1986.

His body was found by amateur divers in Ullswater on 11 January 1987.

When he was found he had rocks in his pockets which were said could not have got there accidentally.

He had been a solicitor and was married with two children and was not said to have had any money worries. He had lived at 31 Douglas Gardens in Uddingston, Lanarkshire.

He left his home at Penrith, Cumbria, on 23 December 1986 to visit clients at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow and Longriggend Prison, but never arrived. Instead he drove 100 miles away to Ullswater in the Lake district.

His gold coloured Vauxhall Cavalier car was found abandoned and unlocked with the keys missing the following day at the lake.

Before his body was found, a senior detective said:

The whole business is very strange. But we have no reason to suspect foul play as yet.

A Strathclyde Police spokesperson said:

Because the circumstances are so unusual we have sent out a telex to all other forces asking that any sighting of him be reported to us. Police in Cumbria have put out lookout messages as well as organising the major lake search.

Gerard Devlin's brother said:

I fear the worst. But I will never be convinced he has taken his life. Gerrard had no reason to run away. He had so much going for him. His wife his frantic. They have been very happily married and she can see no reason for him to run away.

His wife said that she thought that her husband might have been lost and wandering about the Lake District.

On Saturday 10 January 1987 a party of 30 colleagues travelled down to the Lake District from Scotland. The solicitors from Glasgow, Coatbridge and Airdrie arrived with 1,200 large posters of a photograph of him, stating:

Have you seen this man?

His body was found on 11 January 1987 in 45ft of water in the lake, close to the spot where his car was found.

He was described as a successful criminal lawyer and solicitor with a thriving legal practice, and it was said that the police were baffled about why a man they dubbed 'Mr Perfect', should leave his wife and two children and apparently walk into the lake with rocks in his pockets.

His post mortem found that he died from drowning. The police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

The inquest heard that the two stones, one weighing more than two pounds were found in the pockets o his sheepskin coat that he was wearing.

A police constable said:

There were no signs of violence, but the stones had been deliberately placed in the pockets.

It was heard that there were a number of baffling aspects to the case, including:

Why would he run away at Christmas after buying presents for his wife and children.
If it was suicide, why was there no note found.

His relatives, colleagues and friends said that they could not believe that Gerard Devlin could deliberately kill himself, as the inquest had heard.

When the Coroner summed up, he said:

It might be that some people would consider it obvious that he had gone into the water voluntarily and that his intention was to end his life. But the law is more exacting than that and the fact is we have no evidence whatsoever as to how he came to be in the water. In these circumstances it is proper for me to record an open verdict.

His inquest then returned an open verdict.

*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Daily Record - Monday 29 December 1986

see Bellshill Speaker - Thursday 26 February 1987

see The Scotsman - Friday 16 January 1987

see Daily Record - Monday 29 December 1986

see Edinburgh Evening News - Monday 12 January 1987

see The Scotsman - Tuesday 13 January 1987

see Edinburgh Evening News - Thursday 19 February 1987

see Aberdeen Evening Express - Monday 29 December 1986

see Belfast News-Letter - Tuesday 30 December 1986