Relatives of a schoolboy who was killed by a falling gravestone say their questions may never be answered after losing legal aid funding.

Ciaran Williamson's dad Ryan has been denied funding to pay for a lawyer for the upcoming Fatal Accident Inquiry into his son's death.

Ciaran, 8, died on May 26 last year when a gravestone at Craigton Cemetery fell on top of him.

Ryan and Ciaran's gran Margaret are now concerned their questions over why Ciaran died will be overlooked, and they will never find the answers they are desperately seeking.

Their current solicitor Cameron Fyfe, of Drummond Miller, has also been left astounded by the decision to reject the application.

The family have used up their only appeal so are now left with no other options to secure funding unless they can find a lawyer to represent them for free.

Ciaran's mum Stephanie Griffin is also understood to be appealing the rejection of her bid for legal aid.

Cameron Fyfe said: "For a situation as important, emotional, and tragic as this, I am astonished that Legal Aid has been refused for Ryan to be represented.

"For an FAI legal aid is usually granted, in my experience.

"Sometimes the Legal Aid board will say the PF is there so they can advise the clients and keep them right. Our response to that si that we're coming at it from a different angel from the fiscal.

"We are looking at who is to blame, and could pursue compensation, which isn't the Fiscal's concern. For that reason alone, legal aid should be granted and it normally us.

"I'm surprised they have knocked us back, and they haver refused our appeal as well. That's as far as you can go.

"As things stand just now, they will have to represent themselves, which is really unfair in something as emotional and important as this.

"The family are relying on the Fiscal to cover all the ground they want to be covered.

"I'm sure they will do a competent job but they are looking at what can be done in the future to stop this happening again.

"We are looking for who is to blame in this situation. The only possibility is that if some more information came to light we could lodge a fresh application."

A spokesperson for the Scottish Legal Aid Board said the application for funding did not show that solicitors representing the family would be looking for different information than the Procurator Fiscal.

He said: “We considered this case at great length and appreciate this is a difficult time for the relatives.

“Any legal aid application for separate legal representation at an FAI must show why the procurator fiscal would be unable to obtain all the relevant evidence about the circumstances of the death.

“It wasn’t shown that the applicant’s solicitor would be making different lines of enquiry to those of the procurator fiscal.”

The first hearing of the FAI into Ciaran's death was held earlier this month. The full inquiry s due to start in November.