The family of a man convicted of one of Scotland's most notorious murders has hit out at moves to dispose of evidence linked to the crime. 

David Gilroy was jailed for 18 years for the death of former lover Suzanne Pilley -whose body has never been recovered. 

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has announced plans to ditch the rest of the evidence used to convict him. 

But Gilroy's relatives say they will never be able to prove his innocence if prosecutors get rid of the evidence used in his trial. 

Glasgow Times:
Pictured: David Gilroy (PA)

His supporters point to other jurisdictions, including England and Wales, where evidence is retained for longer and in particular when someone is serving a life sentence. 

Stepmother Linda Gilroy said that clearing out evidence would ruin her stepson's chances of proving how badly the key evidence against him was. 

She said: "To get rid of evidence at this stage denies David the chance to commission experts to show how badly some of the key evidence used to convict him is wrong. 

"Scotland seems to be out of line with England and Wales and other modern jurisdictions in getting rid of evidence at such an early point in a sentence. 

"How many other Scottish prisoners have been, or will be, robbed of the chance to prove that they have been wrongfully convicted?" 

Glasgow Times:
Picture: Suzanne Pilley (PA)

Sentencing Gilroy in 2012, Lord Bracadale said that the killer acted with "quite chilling calmness" when he was disposing of the body. 

He had sent her more than 400 texts in the month before she went missing, but these stopped when she vanished. 

Gilroy now hopes to seek expert opinions on key evidence in the case. 

But his supporters fear the COPFS action will dispose of vital evidence denying him the chance to prove he is not guilty of the murder. 

COPFS claims it is impractical to continue to store such evidence and there is no need. 

They said: "Given that there are now no further appeal proceedings ongoing, the Crown has authorised the release of all productions." 

A spokesman for the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission said that they did not believe it was a miscarriage of justice. 

He said: "We reviewed Mr Gilroy's case and concluded there was no reason to believe there to have been a miscarriage of justice." 

A spokeswoman for COPFS said that while the law states evidence must be retained until a convict is released from custody in England and Wales, there is no such law in Scotland. 

She said: "David Gilroy was convicted of murder and his appeal and application to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission were unsuccessful. 

"As such, there is no legal basis for COPFS to retain the productions relating to this case."