A DUNFERMLINE dad has died without having his son's remains returned to him.

Bruce Paton sadly passed away at the age of 73 in January and it was his final wish that his ashes would be laid to rest alongside his son.

The Press first carried the story three years ago that Mr Paton and his ex-wife, Lydia Reid, had been campaigning for more than 40 years to have their baby boy, Gary, returned to them.

After being born on June 26, 1975, with internal injuries and spending his seven days of life in an incubator, Gary Robert Paton died on July 3.

Both Bruce and Lydia believed they had buried him 45 years ago until a court order for an exhumation was granted in 2017.

It revealed that the coffin contained no human remains, a discovery that left Bruce heartbroken.

Speaking to the Press this week, Lydia said that it was an "injustice" that Bruce wasn't able to have his last wish granted.

"Bruce has died without having his son returned to him and I think that is a disgrace," she said.

"My sister also wanted to be laid to rest beside Gary, her nephew.

"All these years later, 45 since his death, I'm still asking for answers on what happened to my son.

"Have they destroyed my son's remains?

"If they haven't, why are they not returning them?

"My boy was not buried in that coffin. That's what I do know.

"I think Bruce would have been devastated if we had found out that Gary's body was destroyed."

The Crown Office and Police Scotland have delayed the return of the remains, citing that the investigation is ongoing.

Gary was buried at Saughton Cemetery in Edinburgh where the exhumation was carried out by Professor Dame Sue Black in July 2017.

Dame Sue, a forensic anthropologist, found a shawl, a hat, a cross and a name tag in the coffin, with no accompanying skeletal remains.

The plot of the burial was next to Bruce's grandad so he could "look after" Bruce's son.

Speaking to the Press previously, Bruce said: "It turns out that my grandad has been looking after an empty coffin for 42 years.

"That is an insult to the Paton family."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police Scotland has a dedicated enquiry team who have been investigating this matter since it was reported to us and we continue to undertake a number of lines of enquiry to fully understand the circumstances.

"Police Scotland continue to work closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to seek answers for the family."

A Crown Office spokesperson said it would "not be appropriate to comment" during the investigation.