Bradley Welsh murder accused says he was riding his bike 'alone' when T2 Trainspotting actor was gunned down

A man who has denied murdering T2 Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh claims he was riding a bike ‘alone’ at the time of the alleged attack.
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Sean Orman, 30, claims he was “elsewhere” at the time the former boxer was allegedly shot dead on April 17 2019 at his home in Chester Street, Edinburgh

A jury heard on Wednesday how Mr Orman maintains he was riding a bike at a location between the city’s Longstone area and Kirknewton, Midlothian, at the time of Mr Welsh’s death.

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The claim is contained within a special defence which has been lodged with the court on the first day of proceedings against Mr Orman, of Edinburgh.

Boxing gym boss Bradley WelshBoxing gym boss Bradley Welsh
Boxing gym boss Bradley Welsh

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

In the movie - based author 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.

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

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

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

However, he lost his life aged 48.

The court heard that a friend of Mr Welsh didn’t want the police to come to his home moments after being assaulted there by a masked man, a court has heard.

Emma McMillan, 46, said she was making dinner when three men came into her property in Greenbank, Edinburgh, and attacked her 50-year-old husband David on March 13 2019.

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She said that the trio wore masks and that one of them attacked David with “an old fashioned sword.”

The court heard that earlier in the day Mr McMillan had gone to Saughton Prison in Edinburgh to visit his friend - a man called “Mark”.

After returning home, Mr McMillan found himself lying on the floor after being hit on the head.

Mrs McMillan said she then saw a man ‘hacking’ at her partner with the weapon.

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She told the court that her son, also David,25, then left his bedroom and then struck the man from behind with a plastic bat which was a piece of memorabilia from TV show The Walking Dead.

The court heard that after the men left the house, a call was made to 999 and a voice was heard saying ‘No police! No police!”

Defence advocate Ian Duguid QC asked Mrs McMillan: “Who was saying that?”

Mrs McMillan replied: “I don’t know. It must have been my husband.”

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Mr Duguid then asked: “So your husband was saying ‘no police. no police’.”

She replied: “He must have been.”

Mr Duguid then asked: “Why?”

She replied: “I don’t know. Ask him that.”

Mrs McMillan told the court that her husband and Mr Welsh had been friends since they were teenagers.

The mother-of-five said she was preparing an evening meal for her family when she saw an Audi car pull up outside her house. Her son was with her in the kitchen.

She told prosecution lawyer Richard Goddard QC that she saw three men wearing black clothing and balaclavas get out of the car.

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She said: “From the minute I saw them coming down the driveway, I knew something horrible was going to happen.”

She also said: “My first reaction was to remove my son from the kitchen because I didn’t know what was going on.”

Mrs McMillan said the men came into the house and started assaulting her husband in the kitchen of their property. She said the weapon used against David Senior looked like an “old fashioned sword” but appeared to be blunt.

After her son David struck the man with the bat, she said the male “stumbled” and looked “stunned”.

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Mrs McMillan said: “My son collects memorabilia.. it’s from the Walking Dead.”

The witness told the court that David Junior “got hurt” during the confrontation and sustained an injury. Mrs McMillan said her son grabbed a piece of furniture in an attempt to get the man to stop assaulting her husband.

She added: “My son grabbed the barstool and pushed it towards them to get them out the door so we could at least close the door.

“We used the barstool to push them out of the kitchen so I could get my husband back on his feet.”

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The court heard that David Senior sustained a fractured skull, had a bleed on his brain and needed plates put into his arm.

The court heard that Mrs McMillan told the police that she said ‘you b*****d there’s kids in here.’ to the man attacking David Senior. She said the two other men were standing watching.

When asked how her husband knew Mr Welsh, she said: “My husband and Bradley have been friends since they were teenagers.”

Mr Duguid told Mrs McMillan that jurors may hear evidence which shows her husband had visited Saughton Prison earlier in the day.

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When he asked her who her husband was visiting there, she replied: “He would have been visiting his friend Mark.”

She told the court that the incident wasn’t a robbery - the men made no attempt to remove anything from the house.

She agreed with Mr Duguid that the incident must have been a ‘targeted’ assault.

Mrs McMillan also told the court that her husband was discharged from hospital after four to five days and they left Edinburgh to go on a pre-arranged holiday to Spain.

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Mr Orman pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Welsh and 14 other charges.

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

The charges also include claims that Mr Orman was involved in the reset of vehicles including an Audi A5 car and a Nissan Qashqai.

Prosecutors claim that on March 13 2019, at 1 Pitcairn Grove, Edinburgh, Mr 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.”

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

It’s also alleged on the same date at the same location Mr 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 Mr 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.

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

The Crown allege that on April 22 2019, on the A720 City of Edinburgh bypass, Mr 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, Mr Orman drove at speeds up to 123 miles per hour in a 70mph zone.

Prosecutors say in this charge that Mr 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.

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In this charge, prosecutors also claim that Mr 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, Mr 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.

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

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

He is represented by advocate Ian Duguid QC.

Judge Lord Beckett told jurors that the trial is expected to last approximately one month.

The trial continues.

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