Tycoon’s body found on riverbank
POLICE are investigating the suspicious death of a millionaire Scots businessman whose body was found on a riverbank, just yards from his luxury car.
The body of Jim Whannel, who owns the Livingston-based Centrex Group, was found near the small Cumbrian village of Tebay on Saturday.
Police spotted the body next to the River Lune after locals called them out to check on Mr Whannel’s luxury Maserati sports car, which had been apparently abandoned by the side of the A685, near the M6 motorway.
Mr Whannel, who had travelled from his Bathgate home for a week of business meetings in the Manchester area, was reported missing by his family after he failed to arrive home at the weekend.
The area where the body was found, on moorland between the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks, has been sealed off and forensic teams were combing the area for clues.
Cumbria Police were unable to say yesterday exactly how Mr Whannel, 40, had died. But a spokesman for the force confirmed: “This death is being treated as suspicious.” He added that Cumbria Police were liaising with officers from north of the Border.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on the body yesterday, but the results are not expected until today.
Lothian and Borders Police confirmed they were aware of the death but said they could not comment on an investigation by another force.
Mr Whannel’s family were too upset to talk about his death yesterday.
Neighbours in a nearby housing estate said that the family had moved to the area several years ago.
They added that Mr Whannel had carried out extensive work on the house, installing a swimming pool and tennis court in the grounds.
They said that the family were private people and that Mr Whannel’s children attended school in Edinburgh.
Jim Devine, the Labour MP for Livingston, said last night he was stunned by the news of Mr Whannel’s death.
He said: “I am very shocked by this - I met him when I spoke to the business community in Livingston.
“He was a young man and a major player in the area. He was also involved in junior football in the area.
“I am very saddened by the report of his death.”
Mr Whannel, a director of the junior team Armadale Thistle Football Club and a consultant to several property firms, is chief executive of Centrex, which has a string of business interests across Scotland.
The company owns and manages considerable property interests across Scotland and holds a portfolio of prime commercial and development land, as well as office and retail properties.
Its clients have included BSkyB and West Lothian Council.
Centrex also provides training facilities for companies at sites in West Lothian and Dunfermline, and is involved in the development of flats at the Glasgow Harbour site and at locations in West Lothian.
Mr Whannel’s business includes a sports division, which was set up to assist sporting organisations in areas such as merchandising and retailing, ticketing and television rights.
