A grieving aunt believes her nephew would still be alive if his killer had been arrested by police hours earlier over an alleged assault in a playpark.
Barry Dixon, 22, died after Robbie Smullen, 24, plunged a knife into his heart in the early hours of June 4, 2019. Smullen was jailed at Edinburgh High Court for nine years and three months on a reduced charge of culpable homicide in April 2021.
After Smullen was charged in connection with the death, Barry’s family say they were contacted by locals who allege police were called to an assault involving Smullen at a playpark on Carnegie Place in Perth - less than a mile from the Wallace Court flat where Barry was killed. The witnesses claimed they saw Smullen strike another man and drag him around by the legs.
They also claimed that when officers arrived, they removed the victim from the scene and did not apprehend Smullen.
Now Barry's aunt Jade Taylor has hit out at police after claiming the family's request for officers to look into the playpark attack before Smullen's trial was 'ignored'.
Speaking to the Record, Jade said: "We believe police failed to apprehend Robbie Smullen before he then went on to kill Barry.
"When we heard about the playpark attack we were shocked and upset. We thought it would be part of the trial but as it got closer to that time it became clear Robbie Smullen hadn't been charged in relation to it.
"We feel police had a chance to stop him and we can't make sense of why it wasn't part of the investigation into Barry's death. I kept telling myself that the next person we heard from in the police would do something about it, but they never did."
During his trial, Smullen was accused of breaching a bail curfew and attacking another man on nearby Nimmo Avenue on June 3 - the day before Barry's death - but the charges were dropped by the Crown. Charges were never brought on the alleged playpark attack.
In October 2021, while struggling to come to terms with Barry's death and Smullen's conviction, Jade and Barry's loved ones submitted a formal complaint to Police Scotland.
Jade claims officers offered to meet with the family in person, but have since failed to provide a formal response to their complaint.
She added: "As a family trying to come to terms with the death of our child in such a horrific way, we should not have had to raise a formal complaint. To meet with the police in person to go over the circumstances of Barry's death would be too upsetting for us. We just want a written reply."
The latest complaint from Barry's family comes after Police chiefs previously apologised to his relatives after admitting they made an error in describing Barry as being dressed only in boxer shorts, instead of casual shorts, when he was stabbed.
The error was reported during the trial as part of the prosecution evidence after it was heard that Smullen had flown into a jealous rage and accused Dixon of sleeping with his girlfriend Shannon Beattie, moments before inflicting the fatal injury.
Police watchdogs PIRC have since scolded police for failing to correct the record before the trial.
Cops have also expressed regret after an officer agreed to take a selfie with witnesses inside his squad car. Bosses defended the actions of the officer as an attempt to 'build rapport'.
Jade continued: "Police Scotland know how much we have already suffered following the loss of Barry. It’s disappointing we have to go through this too."
Speaking on the loss of her nephew, Jade, who helped raise Barry after his parents died, added: "It’s never going to be okay that Barry isn’t here with us. The pain of missing him and way his life was taken is intolerable.
"We are alive but we are no longer living. It’s never going to be okay that he isn’t here and we will never get over it.
"I just hope Barry always knew how loved he was and that he will never be forgotten."
Barry’s family have now launched a campaign called Demand Justice for Barry Dixon in a bid to call for a full public inquiry into the investigation of his death. A petition accompanying the campaign has notched up over 11,000 signatures to date.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received correspondence from the family of Barry Dixon and our offer to meet with them to discuss the matter remains open.
“A review into the issues raised remains ongoing and we continue to provide updates as this work progresses.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
