Police arrest man over fatal pub shooting

Published on 01/05/2006 14:36

POLICE have arrested a 21-year-old man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting at an Edinburgh pub. Detectives swooped yesterday morning and took the suspect into custody after an eight-day manhunt. They had appealed for the man to give himself up over the weekend after he went into hiding.

Investigators believe he was involved in the double shooting at The Marmion pub last Saturday along with suspected gunman James Bain. Ex-boxer Alex McKinnon, 32, died in the attack at the Gracemount bar and his brother-in-law James Hendry, 26, was seriously injured.

Detectives had urged the man to surrender himself to police amid fears for his safety. He was believed to be in hiding with family or friends. Police urged anyone in the

community shielding the man to contact them to "ensure his well-being". They believed he feared for his life because of the threat of reprisal attacks from family or friends of the two victims.

Rumours had spread in the community that the man had committed suicide, but he was understood to have been in contact with friends as late as Friday.

A police spokeswoman said today: "A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting at The Marmion pub on April 22. He is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow."

According to eyewitnesses, two men walked into the Captain's Road pub wearing dark "hoodies" with balaclavas. One man fired twice with a shotgun.

It was believed to have been sparked by a family feud which erupted when Bain, 22, beat up his partner Dionne Hendry, although Ms Hendry has dismissed the allegation. Sources claim Ms Hendry, 23, and Bain had fought after she was spotted with another man at a nightclub. Ms Hendry has denied she was in Lava and Ignite with convict Thomas McCallum the night before the shooting.

She said: "It's all lies. This is nothing to do with McCallum and there are no feuds going on between his family and mine. It was nothing to do with me. I've had nothing to do with McCallum."

Dionne's mum Mary added: "McCallum is a cousin - we're all related. There's never been a feud between the three families."

Ms Hendry's romance with Bain has always been tinged with violence and their rows have attracted the attention of police and council officials. Bain was thought to have flown into a jealous rage and beaten Ms Hendry after discovering she had spent the Friday evening with McCallum.

McCallum, 24, is serving five years for attempted murder at Castle Huntly open prison, near Dundee, but is let out once a fortnight. It had been thought an assault on Ms Hendry set off reprisals, with Ms Hendry's relatives beating up Bain. According to eyewitnesses, two men, wearing dark "hoodies" and balaclavas burst into The Marmion pub at around 10.50pm last Saturday.

Mr McKinnon, a father-of-two, who was crowned Scottish bantamweight boxing champion in 1993, died in the shooting.

His wife, who lived with him in Drum Street, Gilmerton, has left flowers at The Marmion with a poignant message declaring her undying love for her husband.

The message, which was tied to the flowers with red ribbon, said: "To my husband Alec, number one, best of the best. I love you so much and I always will.

"You've been taken away from me but our love for each other will never be taken. I miss you and my heart is broken because you're gone but we will meet again and be together. You rest now my love. Love you always and forever."

Bain was savagely beaten in the wake of the shooting and his body was found with horrific head injuries by police at 2am.

He remains in a critical but stable condition at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, with armed officers keeping guard at the hospital.