Jock Gillespie, a veteran reporter and trainer at the Cambridge Evening News, has died at the age of 86. His journalistic career spanned more than three decades, during which he was known for his adherence to rigorous reporting standards and for mentoring a generation of young journalists, including Alan Rusbridger, who later became editor-in-chief of a major national newspaper.
Born Fulton Gillespie in Stirling, Scotland, he was the son of a miner and left school at 14 to begin an apprenticeship as a compositor at the Falkirk Herald. Demonstrating a keen eye for detail, he quickly moved into the newsroom by age 16. His early work involved covering a wide range of local stories, from antiquarian society debates and market prices to women’s institute fetes and farm shows.
Gillespie’s career included positions at the Daily Record and the Sunday Mirror in Glasgow before relocating to Cambridge in 1963 following his marriage. He remained with the Cambridge Evening News for 34 years, focusing primarily on crime and health reporting. He was particularly noted for his exhaustive coverage of the mid-1970s manhunt and trial of Peter Cook, known as the “Cambridge rapist.” His detailed reporting during that period earned respect not only from his editors but also from law enforcement, who regarded his oversight of the case as exemplary.
Though Gillespie eschewed shorthand, he relied on meticulous note-taking and an exceptional memory. His straightforward and sometimes brusque manner did not diminish the high regard in which colleagues and sources held him.
In 2000, Gillespie faced personal tragedy when his son Scott died of a heroin overdose. Reflecting on the loss, Gillespie expressed the view that criminalization rather than heroin itself was to blame, advocating publicly for the decriminalization of the drug. He shared his experiences in an article and later addressed a Commons select committee on the issue.
Gillespie was married twice. His first marriage, to Pauline Whitaker, ended in divorce and produced two children, Fiona and Scott, as well as the adoption of Pauline’s son Mark. In 1983, he married Annemarie Russell, who brought two children, Bernhard and Crystal, into their family. Annemarie survives him, along with Fiona, Mark, Bernhard, and Crystal.