Demarco tells court of moment he was shot

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 08:40

A BUSINESSMAN has described the moment he was shot outside an Edinburgh casino, but he told a court he does know who pulled the trigger.

Tony Demarco, 63, faced the four men accused of plotting his murder as he gave evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

After pointing to where the bullet that hit him remains lodged in his cheek, he was forced to admit: "I don't know who shot me."

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

Re-living the ordeal, father-of-two Mr Demarco 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 and it basically disoriented me," replied Mr Demarco.

"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 from the casino with a chair and tried to get him to sit down and someone put padding on the wound. Then an ambulance arrived and he was taken to hospital.

"I was told I had a gunshot wound at the back of my right ear and it had lodged in my cheek," he said

Mr Demarco said the bullet was still there, as medics had told him that as it was so close to the carotid artery and important nerves it was too risky to try to remove it.

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

Mr Demarco denied this and also denied he was owed thousands of pounds by another man, Shahid Aslam – claimed by Sakur to be the real culprit of the attempted murder.

"I keep telling you there was no debt," he replied when lawyers questioned his repeated denials.

Mr Demarco said he had given up any involvement in property interests in 2006 and had no business dealings with Sakur – although they had talked about the purchase of villas in Turkey.

He said he had gone to the casino that night to try to patch up a row between Sakur and Mr Aslam over a business deal which had gone wrong.

"I just thought I could mediate and get it sorted out amicably," he said.

Sakur, 35, of Elcho Drive, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, is one of four men who deny conspiracy to murder and attempted murder, while acting with an un-named accomplice. Also accused are Francis McGlone, 39, of Lochfield Crescent, Paisley; Jamie Robertson, 25, of Stock Street, Paisley; and Craig Kelbie, 35, of Saggar Street, Dundee.

The charge claims that the murder plot began in April last year when Sakur is alleged to have approached Kelbie about recruiting others to make the hit.

The trial continues.