The Unsolved Murder of Alexander ‘Sandy’ McClelland

The light green Ford Cortina belonging to Sandy was found parked in a car park on Bethel Street, near the Brighouse Wheelers Working Men’s Club in on the outskirts of Leeds in West Yorkshire. When police searched the car, they found Sandy's body, he had been stabbed to death, with the fatal wound being through the heart.

West Yorkshire Police appealed to the public, creating a reconstruction of Sandy's last movements on the popular TV show, Crimewatch. Important details were shared with the public regarding the case in the hope that someone would come forwards with a lead.

Whoever put Sandy in the boot had wrapped his body in a bedspread. On further investigation, police discovered that it had been made in 1961 for the British Army. Attached to the bedspread was a small ticket, which police believed to be either a laundry or dry-cleaning ticket. When they unwrapped the bedspread, they found Sandy to be unusually dressed. The clothing that Sandy was wearing was too big for him. The jeans were 4 inches too long and the jumper was also too big for his body. Police believed that this clothing did not belong to Sandy and that someone had removed Sandy's own clothing and dressed him in someone else's clothing.

Sandy also had a green balaclava that covered his head and face. On forensic examination, police determined that the balaclava had the name Kellett written on it, and was also an item that had been issued to the British Army. These two pieces of evidence led police to believe that whoever killed Sandy may be in the army, or have served in the arm in the past.

Sandy lived alone in a flat on Willow Garth Avenue in the Whinmoor area of Leeds in West Yorkshire. He lived a somewhat quiet life and did not socialize much apart from going to the Pendas Arms every Friday. According to the Grantham Journal, Sandy moved to Leeds in 1985 to be closer to his stepson, Brian. Before this, Sandy had lived in a mobile home along with his wife until her passing, before moving to Edinburgh and then to Leeds. Sandy had also previously lived in Corby, Grantham from 1980-83 and Grangemouth.

Sandy regularly saw his stepson, Brian, and his wife Elizabeth, who lived near to Sandy on White Laithe Approach. It was Brian and Elizabeth who were the last people to see Sandy alive.

On the evening of Thursday the 12th of September 1985, Sandy, Brian and Elizabeth had all travelled to the Asda supermarket at Crossgates in Sandy’s car, driven by Brian, dropping their 16-year-old daughter, Lynne along the way. After completing their shopping, they all returned to Elizabeth and Brian’s home. They invited Sandy inside, but he said that he had heartburn and was going to get an early night. About ten minutes later, at approximately 8.20pm, Sandy returned to the house as Brian had left his cigarettes in Sandy’s car. Sandy again left the house, but police did not know if Sandy was on foot, or if he was in his car.

Sandy’s body was found 26 days later.

Nothing has been written about who contacted the police and reported Sandy missing. However, it is likely to assume that it was Brian and Elizabeth, as they frequently saw him. There is also no mention of when they discovered that he was missing.

Brian and Elizabeth told police that they had not noticed anything strange about Sandy in the weeks and months leading up to his disappearance. The only thing that they thought to be strange was the man who was in Sandy’s flat on the 5th of September. They did not know who this man was, they had never seen him before as Sandy normally kept himself to himself.

In the episode of Crimewatch, police appealed for the man who was staying in Sandy's flat to come forwards. Brian and Elizabeth told police that this man said that he was called Stewart. He was in his early 30s with light brown or ginger hair. Stewart (if that was his real name) was separated from his wife and had two children. They believed that he had come to Leeds to try and get a driving job, possibly in the mining industry as that was the reason Sandy gave them as to why Stewart was staying at his flat. Police appealed to miming companies in the area, asking if they had interviewed anyone that matched Stewart’s description. Despite an e-fit being aired on national TV, Steward was never traced.

The Grantham Journal wrote that after the reconstruction of Sandy’s last days was aired on TV, they received a call from a man who said that he had met Sandy through a homosexual magazine. Police shared with the public that Sandy may have been involved in the gay community and asked for anyone to come forwards. The Huddersfield Daily Examiner wrote in 1987 that Sandy could have been involved in the homosexual community for 40 years, something that he kept hidden from his family. Remember, this was a different time to today and homosexuality was still considered quite taboo, especially in northern England.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner reported in 1987 that police had taken over 700 statements and interviewed 5,00 people. However, they were no closer to solving the case.

After reading about this tragic case, I have lots of questions, as I am sure you do. When did Brian and Elizabeth notice Sandy was missing, when was his car first noticed in the car park, what was the time and date of his death and what, if anything did they find on a search of his flat? It seems that none of this information was shared by the police at the time.

In 2017, West Yorkshire police appealed to the public once again, 32 years after Sandy was murdered, to try and catch his killer. As of 2022, Sandy’s murder remains unsolved.

Sources and Further Reading

Grantham Journal - Friday 20 December 1985 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000400/19851220/010/0001

Nottingham Evening Post - Saturday 14 December 1985 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003894/19851214/009/0009

Huddersfield Daily Examiner - Thursday 06 August 1987 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000901/19870806/001/0001

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/15582701.alexander-sandy-mcclelland-66-was-found-stabbed-to-death-in-the-boot-of-a-car-in-brighouse-32-years-ago-today/

Crimewatch Episode

https://youtu.be/lNoljvyABBo