A hitman has been sentenced to at least 28 years in jail for the “cowardly and wicked” murder of T2 Trainspotting actor Bradley Welsh.
Sean Orman, 30, was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday of shooting dead Mr Welsh, 48, on his doorstep in Edinburgh’s west end in 2019, just yards from his partner and young child.
The judge, Lord Beckett, called the killing a “pre-meditated and meticulously planned assassination, the ultimate reasons for which remain unknown to the court.”
Orman was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years before he can be considered for release, sentencing remarks show.
He was also convicted of attempting to murder Mr Welsh’s friend David McMillan in a machete attack around a month beforehand.
The trial heard evidence that the career criminal gunned down Mr Welsh with a shotgun after being paid £10,000 by gangland figures to carry out the attack.
Mr Welsh ran a boxing gym and was ambushed as he returned to his home in the city’s New Town on April 17 that year.
He appeared in Danny Boyle’s 2017 sequel to Trainspotting.
Passing sentence, Lord Beckett said: “To shoot an unarmed man as he approached his own house was a cowardly as well as a wicked thing to do.
“His partner and young child were inside when you ended his life, apparently in the expectation of payment.
“As a result of your actions, Mr Welsh lost his life in his forties and his family and friends lost him forever.
“I have read of the impact of all this from his partner who describes the traumatic consequences for her family of what you did and how they have lost their home and can no longer feel safe.
“There can be no mitigation for such a dreadful crime.”
Orman was also found guilty by jurors of attempting to murder Mr McMillan at his home in Pitcairn Grove, Edinburgh, on March 13 that year.
He was convicted of bursting into the family home of Mr McMillan, masked and armed with unknown accomplices, before striking him repeatedly with a machete to his severe injury.
The trial heard that police were warned about the plot to kill Mr Welsh in the month before his death after being alerted by a man called Dean White.
Mr White had told the court he was at his brother’s house when Orman “brought a wad of cash out” and bragged about his plan to shoot the gym owner.
Mr White said: “He said that his next hit he was getting £10,000 to kill Bradley Welsh.
“I went to the police and reported this before it happened.”
Orman has nine previous convictions for assault, many of them aggravated, between 2006 and 2019.
Assistant Chief Constable Judi Heaton said: “Our thoughts today are with Bradley’s family who have lost a much-loved father, partner, brother and uncle.
“Police Scotland carried out a thorough, robust and professional investigation into Bradley’s murder and I hope today’s conviction and sentence helps to bring his family some degree of comfort.
“The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) carried out an independent, Crown-directed investigation into the actions of the police in relation to Bradley’s death, which we fully assisted, and their report was submitted to the Crown for consideration.
“We will be contacting Bradley’s family in the near future to discuss those matters and to offer our support and condolences.”
It is believed Orman was working with accomplices and the force appealed for anyone with information to come forward by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
