MSPs have expressed "dismay" over Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill's refusal to meet with the parents of deceased West Fife man Colin Marr over the botched investigation into his mysterious death.

This is despite repeated pleas from the family and doubts surrounding both the circumstances of Colin's death and the handling of the subsequent inquiries.

Labour's John Park and Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie have been helping Colin's mum and stepdad, Margaret and Stuart Graham (pictured), from Inverkeithing, in their fight for the truth.

The couple do not accept that Colin (23) committed suicide by stabbing himself through the heart following a row with his fiancee in July 2007.

She struck him on the head during the argument in their Lochgelly home but claims she then left the room, returning to find Colin collapsed after stabbing himself.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) proved inconclusive with the sheriff unable to come to an opinion on what had happened.

The family have received apologies from Fife Constabulary and the Crown Office over the way the investigation was handled.

John Park said, "We are dismayed that Kenny MacAskill is still refusing to meet Colin's family to discuss their tragic and shocking case.

"As Justice Minister, it beggars belief that he will not speak directly to Colin's mother and stepfather who still don't know how their son died.

"The authorities have confirmed that the investigation was botched. I am surprised that the minister says he will not meet.

"It's surely high time he took some responsibility for the repeated failings of the Scottish justice system and showed the family the courtesy of a little of his time.

"This is a real slap in the face for the family." At the FAI, Sheriff Alastair Dunlop overturned previous police assumptions that Colin killed himself and the Crown Office apologised to the family, admitting there were a series of failures in the investigation into Colin's death in 2007.

Senior personnel in the fiscal's office have been disciplined over their handling of the case and two police officers retired before disciplinary proceedings could conclude.

Mr Graham said, "We cannot begin to understand how someone in Mr MacAskill's position cannot be interested in what we regard as the complete failure of the justice system.

"We have taken legal advice and were informed that there is no legal reason for not speaking to our family in relation to our experience.

"Surely Mr MacAskill has to learn from the perspective of those impacted by our system and not some sanitised official version presented by those who have let our family down.

"It seems perverse that he is unable to meeting with our family and yet he was able to meet with and talk to Abdelbaset Mohmed Ali al-Megrahi before his release - justifying his actions on compassionate grounds.

"We are all for compassion but from our perspective compassion in the Scottish justice system appears to prioritise those found guilty rather than the victims of crime."