THE father of a man accused of shooting a waiter in an Indian restaurant 14 years ago was a police constable at the scene, a court heard yesterday.
Michael Ross, 29, went on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of murdering 26-year-old Bangladeshi waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood in the restaurant on Orkney in June 1994.
A scenes of crime officer gave evidence that Ross's father, Constable Ed
die Ross, was one of the officers at the scene.
Earlier, the court heard from the victim's older brother, barrister Abul Shafuddin, 63.
He told the court he knew of "no reason" why his brother was targeted.
Mr Shafuddin, from Bangladesh, said of his brother's death: "He was the second youngest of the family. It was a big shock. It took a long time to come to terms with."
The High Court in Glasgow was told that Shamsuddin – known as Shamol – had gained a BA degree in Bangladesh, but had not been interested in studying to become a barrister, as his brother had wished.
He left his brother's home in Southampton and moved to Orkney, where he got a job in a restaurant.
Mr Shafuddin was asked by Brian McConnachie, QC, prosecuting: "Can you think why anyone would want to kill him?"
He replied: "No idea. No reason."
Ross, of Inverness, is accused of entering the Mumutaz restaurant in Kirkwall, with his face masked and shooting Mr Mahmood in the head.
He is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by changing his clothing and disposing of the weapon, and faces two charges of breach of the peace, relating to alleged incidents in Orkney in May 1994.
Ross, who was only 15 at the time of the alleged murder, denies all charges and has lodged a special defence of alibi, claiming he was nowhere near the Indian restaurant, or Kirkwall's town centre, but was cycling in another part of Orkney.
Mr Shafuddin told the court that his brother had a girlfriend in Bangladesh whom he believed he wanted to marry.
Under cross-examination by Donald Findlay, QC, defending, Mr Shafuddin admitted having told the police at the time that his brother had a girlfriend in Orkney, a local girl. He told police that he thought she was someone of "easy virtue".
Mr Shafuddin, who was an immigration lawyer in London, said he did not remember saying that, but if he had said it at the time, it would be accurate.
Later, the court heard that the accused's father was a police officer at the scene. Witness Ian Clingan, a scenes of crime officer from Northern Constabulary, travelled to Orkney in the hours after the shooting.
The jury was shown a video he took of the crime scene.
The jury was then shown footage of a blanket in the middle of the floor and a bloodstained blue jacket, a shell casing and a small bullet-hole in the wall of the restaurant surrounded by red spots.
The witness said the cartridge casing was not one he was familiar with, but was advised to ask one of the police constables outside, Constable Eddie Ross.
The court heard that PC Ross was the father of the accused.
The trial continues.
The full article contains 550 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
