Bradley Welsh murder accused 'had £1,000 of heroin hidden in a Kinder egg'

A lawyer acting for the man accused of murdering T2 Trainspotting’s Bradley Welsh objected to an identification parade taking place because his client was too tanned, a court has heard.

Sergeant David Cuthbert, 44, told jurors on Thursday how 30-year-old Sean Orman’s solicitor believed the proposed parade parade was unfair to his client.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Orman’s image had been taken and it was was to be included among stills of other participants in the parade.

Orman, of Edinburgh, had earlier been arrested for allegedly killing Bradley Welsh,48, by shooting him outside his home in the Scottish capital on April 17 2019.

Shot in the face: Bradley Welsh

However Orman’s legal representative believed that the other people who were taking part in the parade didn’t have a “similar complexion” to his client.

The court heard that Orman also commented to the police about how he was more tanned than the other participants who were taking part.

The lawyer said that media reports had spoken of how the man suspected of murdering Welsh was tanned and that the lack of people who looked like him made the parade “unfair’.

On Thursday, the jury were shown a document containing the lawyer’s objection. The lawyer spoke of VIPER - the process used by Police Scotland to conduct identification parades. Witnesses are shown a DVD containing images of suspects.

The solicitor’s objection stated: “I wasn’t invited as his solicitor to engage in the VIPER process on April 22.

“There doesn’t appear to be any stand ins of sufficiently similar complexion. He quite clearly is tanned. There doesn’t appear to be any other stand ins that are tanned. “It’s more significant when there have been reports in the media of a tanned suspect.

“My objection is that for these reasons, that the parade is as it is constituted is unfair.”

Sergeant Cuthbert told the court that he allowed the parade to continue.

In a written response to the lawyer, which was also shown to the jury, Sergeant Cuthbert wrote: “I have noted your objection but I consider the selection of stand in to be fair to your client in terms of their appearances including their complexion.”

The evidence emerged during the seventh day of proceedings against Orman who denies denies murdering T2 Trainspotting star Mr Welsh in April 2019.

Prosecutors claim Orman killed Welsh – who won praise after he played Mr Doyle in the sequel to Danny Boyle’s classic 1996 movie Trainspotting.

In the movie- which was based on Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting - Mr Doyle drives Renton and Sick Boy to the countryside after he becomes aware of their attempts to make money at his expense. He forces them to strip naked and walk through woods in one memorable scene.

READ MORE: Death threats for mum of man accused of shooting Bradley Welsh

Outside of acting, Welsh, a Hibs fan, ran a boxing gym in the Scottish capital and had been offering programs to help kids stay out of trouble.

He was also involved with and Edinburgh based charity Helping Hands which fights inequality in the city.

Before taking up acting, Welsh was also an amateur British lightweight boxing champion.

However, he lost his life aged 48.

Last week, the jury were read the contents of a documents of evidence which had been agreed between prosecutors and Orman’s lawyers.

In the statement, the lawyers agree that between March 9 2019 and April 12 2019, Mr Orman visited a tanning salon called Indigo Sun at Fruitmarket Place in Edinburgh on nine different occasions.

On Thursday, defence advocate Ian Duguid QC said to Sergeant Cuthbert: “He went through the process and he made a comment about his complexion about being more tanned than the others.”

Sergeant Cuthbert said Mr Orman had made the comment and Orman’s lawyer became aware of the remark.

Mr Duguid said: “When the solicitor turned up he voiced the same objection. Is that right?”

The sergeant replied: “Yes.”

Earlier in the day, PC Rafal Kaminski,32, told the court how he was called to St Leonard’s Police Station in Edinburgh at around 7.30am on April 22 2019. The court had earlier heard how Orman had been arrested hours earlier for allegedly driving a car through the city at speeds of up to 123 mph.

PC Kaminski told prosecution lawyer Richard Goddard QC how he was tasked with observing Orman who was in a cell at the police station.

He added: “He was on his knees. He was being held. He spat out what looked like a Kinder Egg from his mouth. It landed on the floor.

“He said something like ‘I thought it was vallies but it is kit.’

The court heard that ‘vallies’ is slang for valium and ‘kit’ is slang for heroin.

The court also heard that the Kinder Egg contained 7.27 grams of heroin.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Plank,45, told the court he believed that drugs which were allegedly recovered from Orman were of sufficient quantities to be not for personal use.

DS Plank said Orman would have had to pay around £1,000 to buy the substances.

READ MORE: Bradley Welsh murder trial: machete victim fails to identify attacker

Orman has denied murdering Welsh and 14 other charges.

Prosecutors have also brought other charges for alleged motoring offences, possessing ‘controlled’ drugs and breaching firearms legislation.

Prosecutors claim that on March 13 2019, at 1 Pitcairn Grove, Edinburgh, Orman - “whilst acting along with others to the Prosecutor unknown” wore a mask and assaulted David McMillan,50, by striking him to the head and body with a machete or “similar instrument.”

It’s claimed that the assault was to Mr McMillan’s “severe injury” and “permanent” impairment and that Orman attempted to murder him.

It’s also alleged on the same date at the same location Orman assaulted Mr McMillan’s 25-year-old son, also named David, by striking him on the body with a machete or similar instrument to his injury.

On the same date, the Crown claims that Orman did “with intent” to conceal his “guilt” in respect of his alleged attempted murder of Mr McMillan, by setting fire to an Audi A5 car.

It’s claimed he did this “in an attempt to destroy evidence and to avoid detection and prosecution” for the alleged assaults on both Mr McMillans.

On April 17 2019, at 3a Chester Street, Edinburgh, prosecutors claim Orman murdered Welsh by firing a shotgun at him.

The Crown allege that on April 22 2019, on the A720 City of Edinburgh bypass, Orman failed to stop a car after being “required to do so” by the police.

It’s claimed that on the same date, on the City of Edinburgh bypass and at other locations in the city, Orman drove at speeds up to 123 miles per hour in a 70mph zone.

Prosecutors say in this charge that Orman drove on Wester Hailes Road at speeds exceeding 80mph and drove on the opposite side of the road. It’s also alleged that he drove around a roundabout in an “anti clockwise” direction.

In this charge, prosecutors also claim that Orman drove on Stevenson Drive on the wrong side of the road and at speeds exceeding 88mph when the limit was “20 into 30 miles per hour”.

The charge also states that in Dundee Terrace, Orman is alleged to have driven at speeds exceeding 70mph in a 30 mph zone whilst being pursued by a ‘marked” police car with flashing blue lights and its klaxon sounding directing him to stop.

He allegedly drove the car at this time without having insurance and had heroin and Diazepam in his possession.

His legal team have lodged two special defences to the court.

In relation to the alleged assaults on the McMillans, Orman claims a man called Michael Sutherland “and others.. unknown” were responsible for the alleged attacks.

Mr Orman’s legal team claims that at the time Welsh was shot, he was not in Chester Street but was “elsewhere” travelling alone on a “cycle” between Longstone and Kirknewton, Midlothian.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.

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