Casino gun victim tells court bullet is still lodged in his cheek

Published on Thursday 26 November 2009 21:40

A BUSINESSMAN pointed to where a bullet remains lodged in his cheek as he described the night he was gunned down as he left an Edinburgh casino.

Facing him across a courtroom were four men accused of plotting his murder. But Tony Demarco, 63, told the High Court in Edinburgh: "I don't know who shot me."

The trial has heard Mr Demarco of Danderhall, Midlothian was walking towards his silver Mercedes after a night out with friends at the Gala Maybury Casino at the western edge of the city on 8 June last year.

Reliving the ordeal yesterday, Mr Demarco, a father of two, said: "I pressed the remote control, then went to open the car door. As I went to open my car door, I heard a bang and felt a thud behind my ear, my right ear."

Advocate depute John Scullion, prosecuting, asked him to describe the feeling. "Very painful," replied Mr Demarco "and it basically disoriented me.

"I turned. I tried to get away from the pain while clutching my head, then walked round the car to the pavement," he added. "I thought I had been assaulted."

Mr Demarco said he had not been aware of anyone behind him and had not heard any footsteps.

Someone came out from the casino with a chair and tried to get him to sit down, while another put padding on the wound.

Then an ambulance arrived and he was taken to hospital.

He said: "I was told I had a gunshot wound at the back of my right ear. It had lodged in my cheek."

Mr Demarco said the bullet was still there. Medics told him it was too dangerous to try to remove it because it was so close to the carotid artery and important nerves.

Earlier, the trial heard claims that one of the men on trial, Imran Sakur, owed Mr Demarco money.

In the dock are Francis McGlone, 39, and Jamie Robertson, 25, both of Paisley, Sakur, 35, of Broughty Ferry, and Craig Kelbie, 35, of Dundee.

The trial continues.