Casino shooting victim 'targeted three times'

Alleged hitman Jamie Robertson twice visited Tony Demarco's home in the days surrounding the casino shooting, which left Mr Demarco with a bullet lodged in his cheek, a trial was told.

The 63-year-old businessman only survived on one occasion because he was not driving his distinctive silver Mercedes, advocate depute John Scullion said.

Another time, a police presence around the house in Danderhall, Midlothian, scared him off, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

It was also alleged phone records showed that Robertson, 25, had hung around near Mr Demarco's home a week before the shooting. Mr Scullion, prosecuting, told the court yesterday that this was the first attempt on Mr Demarco's life.

Just six days after the shooting, Robertson returned to Danderhall. Robertson claimed he wanted to tell Mr Demarco how he had been conned into giving a mystery man called "Kev" a lift to the casino and had "freaked" when the other man pulled a gun.

The alleged hitman claimed he had fled because Mr Demarco's house was by then ringed by police.

But Mr Scullion said this was one of "a series of preposterous lies" which Robertson told.

The prosecutor said a box of cartridges which police found hidden in the attic at Robertson's sister's house – matching a spent shell found outside the casino – proved he was "determined to finish the job he was hired to do".

The court heard claims that the first date had been picked because the man said to have hatched the murder plot – Imran Sakur, 35 – was in Turkey.

The trial, which has now entered its closing stages, has heard that Sakur was heavily in debt to "Italian Tony", who was demanding his money back.

The shooting happened, in June 2008, after a hot-tempered meeting between them at the Maybury Casino.

Mr Scullion said Mr Demarco had been "acting aggressively" – but the meeting had provided an opportunity for a "sophisticated plot" to be put into action.

"I submit there is significant evidence that Imran Sakur stood to gain financially from the death of Tony Demarco," he said.

Mr Scullion dismissed Sakur's claim that he only played a minor role in arranging "a frightener". Mr Demarco was supposed to get "a slap" to make him back off, Sakur had claimed.

Four men are accused of conspiracy to murder and attempting to murder Mr Demarco.

Labourer Francis McGlone, 39, of Paisley, denies being the getaway driver. Bricklayer Robertson, also of Paisley, denies firing the near-fatal shot. Property developer Sakur, of Broughty Ferry, Dundee, denies masterminding the plot.

Sakur's tenant Craig Kelbie, 35, who calls himself Craig Wallace, of Dundee, denies recruiting Robertson to make the hit.