Inquiry begins into the death of man who murdered Redding schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a First Notice to begin the court process for a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of 76-year-old Peter Tobin.

Tobin died on October 8, 2022 at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – he had been an inmate within HMP Edinburgh when he was admitted to the hospital on September 9, 2022 after a fall in his cell the evening before.  

From the date of his admission until his death he did not leave hospital as his condition declined. He had been receiving palliative care prior to his death and was monitored by GeoAmey officers at all times while within hospital.

The inquiry is a mandatory inquiry under Section 2(4)(a) of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016.   

A preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held on May 27 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.  

The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.   

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.   

Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Peter Tobin occurred while in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.   

“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the sheriff.”   

The last sighting of the 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton was at a bus stop across from Bathgate police station on February 10, 1991 as she waited for the bus back to Falkirk after visiting her sister in Livingston.

Vicky’s remains were found buried in the back garden of a house in Margate, Kent on November 13, 2007 where Peter Tobin had lived.