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Trio jailed for killing ex-boxer | Trio jailed for killing ex-boxer |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of an ex-boxing champion who was shot in an Edinburgh pub. | |
Gunman James Bain, 22, was told at Edinburgh High Court that he must spend at least 22 years in jail. | |
Richard Cosgrove, 21, his right-hand man, was locked up for a minimum of 20 years, while accomplice Bernard Young, 19, will serve 19-and-a-half years. | Richard Cosgrove, 21, his right-hand man, was locked up for a minimum of 20 years, while accomplice Bernard Young, 19, will serve 19-and-a-half years. |
Alexander McKinnon, 32, was blasted with a shotgun on 22 April last year at Gracemount's Marmion bar. | Alexander McKinnon, 32, was blasted with a shotgun on 22 April last year at Gracemount's Marmion bar. |
Bain, Cosgrove and Young were found guilty of the shooting at a hearing in November. They were also found guilty of the attempted murder of Mr McKinnon's brother-in-law James Hendry, 27. | |
The rule of law will prevail over the rule of the gun Judge Lord Uist | The rule of law will prevail over the rule of the gun Judge Lord Uist |
Members of the public applauded as the trio, who had all denied being involved, were led away. | Members of the public applauded as the trio, who had all denied being involved, were led away. |
Judge Lord Uist said they had committed "calculated crimes of a very grave nature". | Judge Lord Uist said they had committed "calculated crimes of a very grave nature". |
"Lawlessness of such an outrageous nature cannot be tolerated," he said. | "Lawlessness of such an outrageous nature cannot be tolerated," he said. |
The judge added that by imposing the sentences, he intended to make it clear that "the rule of law will prevail over the rule of the gun". | |
When the verdicts were delivered in November, the victim's widow, Louisa McKinnon, called for the death penalty to be brought back. She was not in court on Thursday. | |
Jacob Hendry, 56, father-in-law of Mr McKinnon, said justice had been done, but he added that his family would always be left with the "scar" of what happened on that day. | |
Former boxer Alex McKinnon died after the shooting | |
He said: "I agree with my daughter that capital punishment should be brought back, but today justice has been done as best as it can. | |
"It won't bring Alex back and the scar that it has left my daughter and my family will be with us forever more." | |
The trial heard how father-of-two Bain - who has 15 previous convictions - and Cosgrove dressed in black hooded tops and silver face masks before storming into the busy bar shortly before closing time. | |
Bain pulled the trigger while his accomplice was dubbed an "active participant" by the Crown. Their actions were caught on CCTV camera. | |
Night out | |
Mr McKinnon, a former Scottish bantamweight boxing champion, lay unconscious after being shot in the back and his brother-in-law was left fighting for his life following a shot to his chest. | |
Mr Hendry survived and gave evidence at the trial. | |
Moments after the attack, Mr McKinnon's wife arrived at the pub, expecting to join her brother and husband of 12 years for a night out. | |
Instead, the mother-of-two, from Gilmerton, Edinburgh, found them being taken away in an ambulance. By Sunday morning, Mr McKinnon had died. | |
The motive for the crime may have stemmed from an earlier fight between Bain and his on-off girlfriend, Dionne Hendry, 24, who is related to the wounded man. |
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