Island murder case appeal begins

Three judges began hearing an appeal yesterday by a former soldier who was convicted of murdering a waiter on Orkney in 1994.

Michael Ross, 33, was 15 at the time of the shooting of Shamsuddin Mahmood, 26, in front of diners in the Mumutaz restaurant in Kirkwall.

He had served as a sergeant in the Black Watch in the Iraq war before being put on trial in 2008.

He was found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow and, following the verdict, he tried to escape from the court to a car he had parked three miles away.

He had a machine pistol, a hand grenade and ammunition hidden in the car.

Ross was jailed for life, with a minimum of 25 years, for the murder and given an extra five years for attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The hearing at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh is due to last four days, and the judges are expected to reserve their decision.