The Bradley Welsh Murder
Episode Summary
Bradley, boxing gym owner and charity organiser, returned home from his gym, he had a brief chat with a neighbour before walking towards his flat. Just then a man appeared from nowhere and before Bradley could do anything he shot him in the head. But who would want to harm Bradley? Could the reason be rooted in his past?
Bradley Welsh starred as ‘Mr Doyle’ in Trainspotting 2 – YouTube
Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men Season 1 Episode 8 – Bradley Welsh
Bradley Welsh 24 hour pads record attempt www justgiving com pads4charity – Bing video
The best ever renditionof Sunshine on Leith. – Bing video
The Proclaimers – Sunshine On Leith (Official Music Video) – Bing video
Bradley Welsh shooting: Man arrested over ‘murder’ of Trainspotting star in Edinburgh
Bradley Welsh cops probed over actions before Trainspotting star’s murder – Daily Record
Bradley Welsh: Police “warned of murder plot” against T2 Trainspotting actor | HeraldScotland
Bradley Welsh murder trial: Neighbour had shotgun pointed at him – BBC News
Bradley Welsh accused ‘not my attacker’, claims friend – BBC News
Bradley Welsh was murdered for branding mob figures ‘grasses’, T2 Trainspotting star’s pal claims
Bradley Welsh murder: Chilling CCTV shows gangland hitman Sean Orman fleeing scene with shotgun
Bradley Welsh was ‘put on death list’ after getting caught in gangland feud – Edinburgh Live
Bradley Welsh murderer set to appeal conviction for ‘premeditated assassination’ – Edinburgh Live
Bradley Welsh was murdered for branding mob figures ‘grasses’, T2 Trainspotting star’s pal claims
Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh set to return to roots for novel launch party – The Sunday Post
CCTV shows Bradley Welsh killer fleeing murder scene with shotgun | Edinburgh News
Bradley Welsh chillingly revealed he was haunted by ‘ghetto’ past before death – Mirror Online
Bradley Welsh murder: Actor Danny Dyer joins list of famous names to pay tribute | Edinburgh News
Danny Dyer pays tribute to ‘good soul’ Bradley Welsh after Trainspotting 2 star was shot dead
Gangs of Edinburgh: Feared Hibs casuals who moved up to the big league – Daily Record
Record attempt to raise funds for children’s charity | The Edinburgh Reporter
6 years ago tonight, Brad Welsh set the… – Holyrood Boxing Gym | Facebook
Bradley Welsh – Biography – IMDb
mark richardson gangster in prison – Bing images
Gangster jailed over high-speed chase through Glasgow – BBC News
Chester St, Edinburgh to Duddingston Road West, Edinburgh EH16 4AP – Google Maps
Man goes on trial accused of shotgun murder of T2 Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh – Daily Record
Sean Orman jailed for 28 years for ‘cowardly and wicked’ murder of Bradley Welsh – Edinburgh Live
Man accused of Trainspotting actor’s murder acquitted of 13 other charges | Evening Standard
Bradley Welsh funeral – Cryptic poem penned by slain Trainspotting star read to his mourners
Bradley Welsh murder: Trainspotting 2 star ‘caught in crossfire’ of brutal gangland turf war
Interview: Bradley Welsh – his mother’s son | Edinburgh News
Hitman convicted of murdering T2 Trainspotting actor Bradley Welsh – BBC News
‘I’ve done some horrible, horrible things’: Bradley Welsh tells of regret | Daily Mail Online
Notorious Edinburgh gangster hit with ‘super-Asbo’ crackdown – Edinburgh Live
Dawn:
Bradley, boxing gym owner and charity organiser, returned home from his gym. He had a brief chat with a neighbour before walking towards his flat. Just then a man appeared from nowhere, and before Bradley could do anything he shot him in the head. But who would want to harm Bradley? Could the reason be rooted in his past?
Dawn and Cole:
Hi Wee Ones, I’m Dawn and I’m Cole, and this is Scottish Murders.
[THEME TUNE]
TRUE CRIME FILES PODCAST PROMOTION
Dawn:
Mark and Simon sat on a wall just minding their own business, when a black car with heavily tinted windows slowed in front of them, and they were told to get in. Once inside they came face to face with a man who asked them “Do you know who I am?” Simon certainly did and nodded his head rigorously. This was Mr Doyle, sauna owner and gangland kingpin. Then Danny Boyle, the director of Trainspotting 2, shouted cut. Ewan McGregor and Johnny Lee Miller climbed out of the car, along with the man who had been playing the part of Mr Doyle, Bradley Welsh, whose background in real life had certain similarities to the gangster character he was playing.
Cole:
Oh I’ve seen both of the Trainspotting films.
Dawn:
Yeah, me too. I wondered if you would have recognised it.
Cole:
Well, seeing as I wrote my dissertation on it then I think I should have recognised it.
Dawn:
Did you?
Cole:
I did.
Dawn:
Oh I’m impressed. Oh so you must know all about Mr Doyle then?
Cole:
I know of him. (laughing)
Dawn:
Bradley John Welsh was born on the 4th of November 1970. He grew up in a council estate in Moredun with his mum Patricia and elder brother Sean, living on the eighth floor of a tower block. Moredun is about a 20-minute Drive south east of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and is located on the southern shore of the Fifth of Forth. According to Wikipedia, Edinburgh’s historical and cultural attractions has made it the UK’s second most visited tourist destination. His mum had thrown his dad out when Bradley was still a young boy. Moredun was a bad area back in Bradley’s day, rife with drugs and fighting, an area where you had to be able to look after yourself or you were in trouble . From a young age, Bradley’s mum noticed that he had a lot of energy, and according to Bradley himself he was a bit of a wayward child. So to try and keep him out of trouble his mum suggested he started boxing, which he did when he was about seven years old. He loved this sport and found that he excelled at it, winning title after title from a young age, having had 200 fights in the ring by the age of 12 winning most of them, and by 15 he was a champion boxer. However, Bradley wasn’t able to just contain his fighting to the ring, he had another passion, fighting on the streets at football matches. So much so that by the time he was 14 years old he had already been arrested numerous times for hooliganism at football matches.
Cole:
He was a football hooligan.
Dawn:
His football hooliganism days started when Bradley was taken to a football match when he was 12 years old and saw that the streets of Edinburgh were taken over by other football team supporters, so much so that his friends and family who supported Hibernian Football Club or Hibs, and had been at the matches were so scared of being attacked by supporters from other football teams that they hid their football scarves. Bradley couldn’t understand that, this was his City, he was a fearless wee boxer and he wasn’t having this, he wasn’t hiding anything. In 1982 football hooliganism was a massive thing in Scotland, supporters would just come to each game and absolutely take over the streets, and fighting and violence would ensue. It was horrendous. Bradley’s older brother was part of football hooliganisms major firm calling themselves the Capital City Service, also known as Hibs casuals, and they would defend their City from the invading football supporters. However. it didn’t stop there, the Capital City Service would also travel around the United Kingdom to football matches where there would inevitably be violent clashes with other such firms that had been set up. When Bradley was 14, and not yet having been initiated into the Capital City Service but not being one to sit on the side lines, decided in about 1985 to form his own group called The Blackley’s Baby Crew with his friends. Eventually there were a couple of hundred lads in this crew. You had to be a member to get into this elite crew though, and Bradley and many other guys in the crew made sure everything was organised and everybody was working together to ensure that when a football match was due to be played in Edinburgh, Blackley’s Baby Crew would be on the streets dealing with the descending football supporters who stepped out of line and wanted a wee fight. Bradley even got on the front page of a newspaper once standing right in the middle of a fight between Scotland and England football hooligans holding a big stick, which was unlucky for Bradley as that night he had gotten grounded by his mum and stepdad but Bradley has snuck out of the house in order to attend the match and subsequent fighting. He thought he’d gotten away with it and had snuck back into his house with no bother, however, the following morning the picture appeared on the front cover. This was the first time his mum had known about his football hooliganism and she was not amused. The Blackley’s Baby Crew eventually disbanded when most of the crew were initiated into the Capital City Service. Bradley and his crew were making a name for themselves by this time and just the mention of his name was starting to instil fear in people, and Bradley began thinking it might be time to step things up. So, as well as the football hooliganism, Bradley and his crew of friends started to steal clothes in bulk and sell them on, making them a tidy wee sum. Having a wee bit money in his back pocket for the first time coming from the background Bradley did, was probably what got him thinking just how he could make a whole lot more. So, with Bradley’s reputation as a fighter not to be messed with, his hooliganism reputation and his head for constantly thinking bigger and bigger and more and more, in early 1988 at the age of 17, he came up with a plan that would combine his love for fighting, violence and money. Security. But not just any security. In the late 80s and early 90s the club scene started to happen, ecstasy started to become a big thing, and more and more people than before started attending clubs to enjoy themselves, which obviously necessitated the need for more security on the doors to prevent trouble, especially when the Hibs casuals were notorious for causing trouble. Bradley jumped on this idea. With his obvious involvement with the Hibs casuals and his fighter background, he was the perfect choice of security to ensure there would be no trouble in the clubs. Bradley started working for a security company called Westlands, who at the time provided a lot of doorman at Edinburgh clubs and pubs, but on hiring Bradley they wanted him to get them even more. Bradley found that again he was very successful in this area, soon stamping out any competition in this area, and almost overnight he managed to secure Westlands Security, and himself, the doors of hundreds of the pubs and clubs in Edinburgh, where they would provide their own doormen to keep out any troublemakers, obviously at a price. This was a great wee earner for Bradley, and at the age of 18 years old he not only saw himself as invincible but as a gangster kingpin. Again, Bradley, never one for standing still, just had too much energy, he didn’t just stop at security, he also started to set up his own nights at the clubs where he could rake it in. However, this was bad news for any competing nightclubs, Bradley wasn’t having any competition. And, so, any club that decided to go up against his planned club nights quickly found themselves in trouble. Bradley’s objective being to ensure that any competition was quickly shut down. And this is where things started to go wrong for Bradley. Even though Bradley had a reputation for fighting and violence, he much preferred for people to see things his way by threats of violence rather than actual violence, however, that was to change, which would be his downfall. Bradley started carrying guns. No longer did competing clubs just fear the threat of violence, there actually now was violence. Unfortunately, this new tactic caught the attention of the police, who started to take a closer look at Bradley’s growing empire, including bugging his phone and his house. After six months of surveillance the police believed they had enough evidence against Bradley and he was arrested on three main charges, including extortion and demanding money at gunpoint.
Cole:
He must have been quite young still.
Dawn:
Yeah, he was only 18.
Cole:
Wow.
Dawn:
I know, he’s done a lot.
Cole:
He has done a lot.
Dawn:
That’s what I mean, he saw himself as this big kingpin. At the trial though, he was cleared of these charges and he thought he was free and clear, would be heading home, but nope. He was sentenced to four years for possessing ammunition and menacing an estate agent.
Cole:
Menacing an estate agent? (laughs) You know, you shouldn’t go to jail for that because they menace us enough when they want to.
Dawn:
[Laughter] As soon as Bradley was in prison, he realised that he didn’t want to go back and that he needed to change his lifestyle. This lifestyle change actually began in prison. After the initial shock and despair of being sentenced to four years in prison, with his control taken away, he managed to pick himself back up and turned to his passion. Boxing. Despite Bradley’s foray into hooliganism, security, firearms and extortion, he had still kept up his boxing. At the time of his arrest and incarceration, he was the Scottish Eastern District boxing champion and was due to represent Britain in the 1992 Olympic Games taking place in Barcelona. This was one fight he wouldn’t be taking part in. However, with the support of the prison service, Bradley was allowed to train again in the prison’s gym. And train he did. He also was allowed out on day release to compete in boxing championships, the first being the Scottish Western District Championships, which he won. But this wouldn’t be the last championship he competed in and won whilst in prison. This is what got Bradley through his time in prison and out the other side, better and stronger than ever, and he showed no signs of slowing down or stopping on his release. Feeling at the top of his game in amateur boxing Bradley decided it was time to become a professional boxer, and so he went to America to follow his dream. However, it turned out that his dream wasn’t quite what he thought. While Bradley did become a professional boxer in America having ten fights, winning nine of them, he soon turned his back on professional boxing, as he found it not too dissimilar to the world he was trying to leave behind. He found that it was all about getting as much money out of the professional as you could, about greed. So Bradley made his way back to Edinburgh. On his return to Edinburgh, Bradley found himself in a situation he hadn’t found himself in before, he didn’t have a plan, he was a wee bit lost. The one thing that Bradley never deviated from though was his love for his family. He was a big family man, absolutely adoring his mum, brother and two wee nephews, and so when his mum became ill Bradley became her main carer, throwing himself into this new role. He withdrew into himself, spending his time reading, learning and staying at home with his family. He enjoyed this time to reflect on his life. As always though, Bradley continued with his boxing, the other love of his life. Bradley’s mum’s health started to improve and she didn’t need a carer as much, so, once again, Bradley was lost. What was next for him? And then an idea came to him. What had been the one constant thing in his life? The one thing that had helped channel his energy? The one thing that had got him through tough times? Amateur boxing. He decided he wanted to share his love and obvious skills of boxing with others. And so around 2005, when Bradley would have been about 35 years old, he opened his own boxing gym from the proceeds of a short-lived professional boxing career. He specifically opened his gym in a rougher more deprived area of Edinburgh as he wanted to help underprivileged kids, channel their energy and give them some sort of direction. Bradley did make it clear though that this would only be amateur boxing, he would not be venturing into the professional boxing world again. The gym became a huge success, helping support many a wayward youngster stay off the streets. Bradley was in his element. He was really passionate about helping people that didn’t have a lot as this was his roots, where he had come from. Over the years Bradley threw himself into his new role, which saw him working with the various volunteer-based organisations to help underprivileged kids all across Edinburgh, such as the Helping Hands bike initiative which donated 150 bikes to city schools across Edinburgh. Bradley also carried out a food bank appeal which raised 22 tons of food, and he also began to offer free boxing lessons at his gym to underprivileged kids. He went on to work on a collaboration with Edinburgh Helping Hands charity which fights inequality in the city, Social Bite which is a movement to end homelessness, and author and friend Irvine Welsh, where they challenged social and economic inequality in Edinburgh. It looked like Bradley really had turned his life around and was determined to give back to his beloved Edinburgh, and to try and deter other children going down the same route he had. However, he couldn’t escape his past life completely. People were fascinated by him and his exploits and wanted to know more. In 2008 he appeared on a Bravo television show called Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men. I’ve watched this program and found it enjoyable.
Cole:
I don’t think that’s the right word. Enjoyable. Hilarious maybe. Danny Dyer’s hilarious. He’s, he’s… Every time he talks it’s funny.
Dawn:
(laughter) But, no, it was it was informative, and it did give an insight into Bradley’s life. He came across as having a huge amount of energy and drive, as well as a massive personality. He also said that he felt he was a born leader, which he had certainly demonstrated from a very young age. He did say in an interview in 2006 that he felt that his past exploits as a kid and teenager had been stupid, but that he wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed by it, and felt that it’s life’s experiences that make you who you are.
Cole:
Very true Bradley.
Dawn:
Mhh hmm. Over the next couple of years, Bradley’s life consisted of his charity work, his boxing gym, but also extended to include the birth of a baby girl called Eva Tiger in 2011, with his then girlfriend Emma.
Cole:
Okay, interesting name.
Dawn:
As previously stated, Bradley loved his family, so would have been over the moon to be a father. Life was good for Bradley. Sadly though this happiness was soon to be shattered. In 2012 his beloved mother died. Bradley would have been just distraught, he was a self-confessed mummy’s boy and his mum was now gone. However, by now we begin to understand that Bradley doesn’t stay down for long, and so two years later in 2014 he was back in the ring again with yet another challenge he had set himself, but this time in honour of his mother. He wanted to get himself into the Guinness Book of World Records by spending 24 hours in the ring sparring with 360 people, which he succeeded in and raised over £42,500 or about $58,600 for charity in the process. Rather him than me. It sounded brutal. He did say that the challenge had almost killed him, but that he’d been determined to make the world record in his mum’s name. Now, at this record-breaking attempt, and who also sparred with Bradley, was his friend Irvine Welsh, who was the author of The Trainspotting books, but also Danny Boyle, who just so happened to be the director working on the Trainspotting 2 film. Danny was impressed by Bradley and asked him if he would audition for a specific part he had in mind in the film, which Bradley agreed to. It just so happened that this part was for a gangland kingpin who intimidated the main characters Simon and Mark. Perfect part for Bradley, right?
Cole:
Renton and Sick Boy.
Dawn:
Yes, well, that’s… Simon and Mark’s their grown-up names. They were Renton and Sick Boy in the first one. (laughter) Anyway, so Bradley messed it up by being too aggressive and he didn’t get the part. However, he knew this part was perfect for him so he asked Danny Boyle for another chance, and this time he nailed it. Trainspotting 2 was released in 2017 and I loved it.
Cole:
Oh did you.
Dawn:
I did. Bradley is really good as the part of Mr Doyle. However, this would be Bradley’s last foray into acting. He had a feeling that he might be typecast. Bradley was pretty content with his life, he was now engaged to Emma, his boxing gym was thriving, and he excelled in charity work. Bradley had come a long way from that violent 12 year old boy. So it looked like Bradley had well and truly left his past behind. And he had for the main part. All he wanted to do was help the youngsters and underprivileged in his community. However, Bradley was a friendly guy and he’d made good friends along the way, including various people from Edinburgh’s underbelly who he continued to be in touch with, despite not being part of the lifestyle anymore. One such friend was Mark Richardson who he was very close to. I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of Mark Richardson but he was heavily involved in major crime networks, which included drugs, firearms and violence, and he was a cocaine kingpin.
Cole:
Sounds like a dangerous guy.
Dawn:
Yeah, he’s currently in prison and he’s causing no end of problems in there too. So Bradley was friends with him but he was no longer involved in that lifestyle. It was reported in the Daily Record newspaper on the 8th of May 2021 Bradley might give advice or clear something up to try to make peace, but he wasn’t part of that world. In the end he wasn’t able to shake off these people he’d known for many years. And sadly it looks like what happened next was due to his friendship with Richardson, as well as his inability to turn his back on his longtime friends. Wednesday the 17th of April 2019 was just another ordinary day for Bradley. After saying bye to his fiancée Emma and his eight-year-old daughter Ava in the morning, he would have left his flat at Chester Street, about 1.6 miles or 2.5 kilometres west of Edinburgh City Centre, and gone to his Holyrood boxing gym, about an 18-minute drive east of his flat, where he would have spent the day taking boxing lessons with adults and kids alike. Once his work was done for the day, Bradley would have got into the ring and sparred with another trainer just to keep his hand in, before about 7:30pm driving the 18 minutes back to his flat, where his fiancée and daughter were waiting for him. Upon parking his car outside his flat about 8pm, Bradley got out and happened to see his upstairs neighbour, Edward Rennie, across the street having a cigarette and so he walked over to have a brief chat with him. After a few minutes Bradley said bye and walked across the street towards the stairs leading down to his basement flat. Just as he was about to take the first step down, a man wearing a baseball cup appeared out of nowhere and shot him a point-blank range in the head, before Bradley could even register what was happening. Bradley then tumbled down a few of the stairs to his flat and lay there, unmoving. His neighbour, Edward, hadn’t seen the man approaching Bradley either, but he sure heard the bang. He turned around immediately and saw a man pointing a shotgun at Bradley, just as the man saw Edward. The shooter turned the gun on Edward and told him not to look at him. Edward dived behind a parked car in response, and peered through the glass in time to see the shooter run away. Edward then made his way to Bradley’s lifeless body and realised immediately that he had been shot. He called the emergency services and stayed with Bradley until they arrived. Another of Bradley’s neighbours, Lucy, had been walking to her flat after finishing work for the day and had seen a man with his back to her on the street outside Bradley’s flat. She didn’t think anything off this until he turned round and she spotted the gun in his hand. She said she panicked and turned and started running in the opposite direction. The ambulance crew arrived and did their best to keep Bradley alive, however, sadly Bradley died in the street outside of his flat, due to suffering life-threatening wounds to his head. By this time Bradley’s fiancée Emma and his daughter Eva would have been made aware of the situation and would have been absolutely distraught. They apparently hadn’t heard the shot or the commotion outside their flat, but word of what had happened had quickly gotten around Bradley’s family and they raced to the scene, but it would be to no avail. The police now were also present and, upon Bradley being pronounced dead at the scene, they began to cordon the area off and begin a murder investigation. The police then gave a statement saying that they believed this was a targeted attack and that nobody else in the community was at threat, but they would be providing a presence in the area to help reassure the public, and also to gather as much information as they could to help with their inquiries. The police also appealed for any information on who could have carried out this horrendous attack and left a family grieving for the loss of their son, brother, partner and father, asking them to search their conscience and do the right thing. Dozens of forensic officers carried out a massive search of Chester Street and the neighbouring streets in the hope that the killer may have dropped something, such as a cigarette or chewing gum. They also carried out a fingerprint examination of the railings that surrounded the properties in the street, as well as carrying out a forensic examination of Bradley’s flat to see if that gave them a clue as to why he had been targeted. While the forensic teams were busy, the police had started the arduous task of searching CCTV cameras in the area, as well as from residential and business properties in the area, and also requesting dash cam footage from motorists to try and capture the murderer and his getaway route. As this would take time to collate and go through, the police began interviewing witnesses, starting with Edward and Lucy. Edward told the police that he thought the man was mid-20s to early 30s and that he was wearing a puffer jacket, and also that it looked like he had a fake tan. Lucy said that she hadn’t seen the man’s face as she was focusing on the gun, but that he wore a baseball cap. Not much to go on to help catch the shooter, but it wouldn’t be long before the police had all the evidence they needed. Once all of the CCTV footage available had been gone through a picture started to emerge, and it pointed straight to one man. The police had found footage of the killer wearing a baseball cap, a puffa jacket, dark jogging trousers and distinctive Nike Air Max 95 trainers, walking towards Bradley’s flat just before 8pm on the 17th of April. And then footage of him running away from the scene at 8:06pm carrying what looked like a shotgun. He was then seen driving off in a hurry in a stolen dark grey Ford Kuga. The footage was shown to the witnesses and they confirmed that this man was the shooter. Now the police just had to identify who this man was, which was going to prove easier than police had initially thought. The shooter had stolen the Ford Kuga about a week before the murder, but he’d made a mistake. The car he had stolen had a built-in tracker. The police requested the tracker information and they used CCTV footage from across the city to track the movements of the car and the shooter on the run-up to the murder, which helped build a very interesting picture. The Ford Kuga was found abandoned three days after the murder, which again via CCTV footage brought the police directly to the shooter. So from the tracker information and CCTV footage, chillingly, it showed that eight days before the shooting the Ford Kuga was seen driving slowly past Bradley’s gym, stopping outside for six minutes, before driving off again. It also showed that the car had been past Bradley’s flat four times in the days before the shooting, and also there was CCTV footage of the shooter walking up and down the streets near Bradley’s flat an hour before the shooting. Presumably the shooter was trying to work out Bradley’s schedule and figure out the best day and time to attack. The police then tracked the car’s movements from leaving the scene of the crime to where it was dumped, using CCTV cameras from along the route, and this is where the shooter was nailed. Obviously, unaware of the car’s tracking device, after shooting Bradley, the killer then drove the stolen car to a small village, which is where the car was found abandoned, about ten miles or 16 kilometres south west of Bradley’s flat, arriving there about 8:43pm. Shortly after that, a man wearing slightly different clothes, but still the distinctive white Nike Air Max 95 trainers, was caught on CCTV outside of a pub. He then called his friend who came and picked him up and took him back to Edinburgh. With the police being satisfied that the shooter had been identified, 28 year old Sean Orman was arrested on the 22nd of April 2019, five days after Bradley’s murder and was subsequently charged. Ormond denied this of course and insisted that he’d been cycling at the time of Bradley’s murder. The police would have liked to have organised an identity parade so the witnesses could confirm that they had their man, however, on this occasion it wouldn’t be able to be held, as Sean Orman had tried so hard to hide his appearance that in the weeks running up to the shooting he had visited nine different tanning salons in the hope no one would recognise him. He was deemed too tanned. Despite the lack of an identity parade the police had more than enough evidence, due to the tracker in the car and all the CCTV footage, private cameras and dash cams that had been sought and provided by Edinburgh citizens who wanted to help get this man off the streets. As word of Bradley’s murder got out, more and more tributes came, including from Danny Dyer who had met Bradley while filming Britain’s Deadliest Men who said “So sad to hear the news about Bradley. A good soul with a massive heart. A massive loss. Rest in peace my old son.”, and also from Bradley’s long-time friend Irvine Welsh who said “My heart is broken. Goodbye my amazing and beautiful friend. Thanks for making me a better person and helping me to see the world in a kinder and wiser way.” Also flowers, Hibs scarves and boxing gloves, were left by well wishers outside Bradley’s home, as well as outside his gym. A spokesperson for Boxing Scotland said “The Boxing Scotland family is extremely shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic passing of Bradley. He was one of a kind and will be sadly missed.” One local man who knew Bradley and his family said in a newspaper that he was also heartbroken and that Bradley did a lot for Edinburgh and for the community. Another said that he was a huge character.
Cole:
Oh that was really nice of them.
Dawn:
Yeah it was, wasn’t it.
Cole:
Yeah. You don’t expect famous people to come out and wish condolences, especially to someone like Bradley who, you know, was on Deadliest Men.
Dawn:
Yeah, he was. I mean, I know he was friends with Irvine Welsh anyway, but um I don’t think he’d kept in touch with Danny Dyer, so that was nice.
Cole:
Yeah. Obviously well thought of by many.
Dawn:
Yeah, he certainly seemed to be. Bradley’s funeral took place on the 7th of June 2019 at Edinburgh’s Mortonhall Crematorium. Bradley’s coffin was green in honour of the Hibs football team he loved so much. Around a thousand of his loved ones and close friends gathered to pay their last respects, with Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers being played, which also is the adopted anthem for the Hibs Football Team. Bradley’s ten-year-old daughter Eva also spoke at the funeral saying “My daddy made me feel brave when I was with him. He only wanted the best for me. I know he’s looking out for us like he always did. I will miss him more than words can say.”
Cole:
Wow, that’s so sweet. You wouldn’t expect that from a ten year old but that’s really eloquent.
Dawn:
Yeah, it must have been really hard for her to get up there in front of everybody as well and say that. It’s dead brave.
Cole:
Yeah, that would have been so scary.
Dawn:
Also, Bradley’s brother, Sean, had found a poem written by Bradley himself titled ”For my funeral should I die young’. It read “No matter what, right or wrong, I’m free, hee hee hee. Ye see? Now try to be me.”
Cole:
Okay, is it not a bit weird to have a poem written out just in case you die?
Dawn:
I thought it was cool. I liked the hee hee hee bit. (laughs)
Cole:
I do like that he’s showing his personality. I like when you know someone who’s passed away tries to make light of the situation, cause they know how horrible it must be for everyone.
Dawn:
Yeah, that must have um given the family maybe a smile just reading that.
Cole:
Yeah.
Dawn:
It wouldn’t be until the 21st of April 2021, just over two years since Bradley had been murdered, at the High Court in Edinburgh that the trial of Sean Orman started, where he pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges, which included murder, attempted murder, firearms and drug offenses, assault, driving at speed and drug and driving offenses.
Cole:
Wow, they were really just throwing everything at him at this point weren’t they? But why is he only being charged with attempted murder and not just murder, because Bradley was murdered?
Dawn:
Well, the attempted murder charge was in relation to David McMillan.
Cole:
Oh okay. Who’s David McMillan?
Dawn:
Well let me tell you. Do you remember how I mentioned Mark Richardson briefly, saying how he was involved in crime and drugs and that he was friends with Bradley?
Cole:
Yes, I do remember that.
Dawn:
Okay. Well, David McMillan, who was 50, was friends with Mark and Bradley too. And what was revealed through the trial was that it appeared that the whole situation stemmed from Mark Richardson and his criminal fraternity.
Cole:
Oh. What do you mean?
Dawn:
So, it looks like it all started back around 2011 when Mark Richardson and a man called George ‘Dode’ Baigrie were in prison together. Baigrie had been sentenced to 12 years over a samurai sword attack, and Richardson for ten years for dealing in cocaine, heroin, guns, and his role in a £200million or $276million crime super gang.
Cole:
Ooh a super gang. I’d like to be part of a super gang.
Dawn:
Both men were involved in the Edinburgh criminal underbelly, their personalities clashed and they were also affiliated with rival gangs, Baigrie with the Lyons gang and Richardson with the Daniels gang. So, being locked up in close quarters was never going to be a winning combination.
Cole:
I know that feeling, I’ve had to live with you before unfortunately.
Dawn:
Yeah, that wasn’t a winning combination.
Cole:
It was not.
Dawn:
The pair had continuous run-ins, but Baigrie was known as “the top man” in jail and was always on Richardson’s case. However, Richardson also viewed himself as top dog, which Baigrie did not appreciate. In 2012 Richardson had his face slashed and it was rumoured that Baigrie had backed this attack. Anyway, Baigrie was released in 2018 and came to live in Edinburgh, but apparently he put the word out that anyone involved with Richardson would find themselves on the wrong side of Baigrie, and therefore on his hit list. And obviously as Bradley and David McMillan were friends with Richardson and weren’t going to turn their backs on him, then this could be an issue. And it wouldn’t be long before Baigrie was flexing his muscles. On the 13th of March 2019 three masked men broke into the Edinburgh home of David McMillan and seriously assaulted him and his son, also called David, in front of his wife and other children, leaving David senior with a fractured skull. Days after this attack, Sean Orman and a man called Peem were at an acquaintance’s house, Dean White, where Dean’s brother, Robert, was also present. Orman and Peem talked about the attack they had carried out on David McMillan and his son, and that they’d been paid by Baigrie to do it. Orman then went on to say that he was going to be paid £10,000 or $13,800 to murder Bradley Welsh. Robert White also said that Orman had a shotgun, and while he was showing off it accidentally fired into the floor of the property. He said in court, via a video link, that he was extremely nervous about what had happened at his brother’s house. He told the court how he had got in touch with the police straight away to tell them about the conversation and the threat to Bradley’s life, and also about the shotgun bullet being embedded in the floor. However, when under cross-examination, it emerged that he hadn’t actually told the police about the shotgun incident at all, saying that he was in fear for his life. He said he’d been unable to return to Edinburgh or see his family due to agreeing to be a witness at the trial. Robert’s brother, Dean, didn’t give evidence in court, he too was in fear for his life, as 13 days after Bradley’s murder he was attacked in his own home by two men with an axe. David McMillan Jr did give evidence in court though, but it did nothing to back up Robert’s statement. He said that when the men first came into his home they weren’t wearing masks, but that they later put balaclavas on.
Cole:
Oh right, but didn’t you say they were masked men?
Dawn:
Well yes, that’s what David initially said, but when he got to court he then said that they weren’t wearing masks to begin with but then put the balaclavas on.
Cole:
That doesn’t make much sense. David Jr is a liar.
Dawn:
God everybody’s a bloody liar as far as you’re concerned aren’t they?
Cole:
They are liars though aren’t they, so I’m not wrong.
Dawn:
No, it doesn’t make much sense. When he was asked if Orman was one of the men that broke into his home and attacked him he said a hundred percent not. The prosecutor put it to him that he had come to court to tell a false story about men coming in with their faces showing and then covering them up later. All so that he could say that the man in the dock was not the man that attacked him.
Cole:
So he was a liar?
Dawn:
That’s what the prosecutor was saying, yes. But of course he denied this.
Cole:
Do you think he was just lying because he was scared or why do you think he would have made up that story?
Dawn:
Yeah, I think he probably was scared. I mean, he had been attacked already so he wasn’t really going to want to point the finger at Orman.
Cole:
All right. Okay. So you said that the police had been told that Bradley’s life was in danger, did they do anything?
Dawn:
Well it appears that they did issue Bradley with a threat to life notice called an Osman. This is a notice that the police issue to individuals if they are aware of a real or immediate threat to their life.
Cole:
Oh right, I didn’t know that. So, if you ever get an Osman in the post you’re into some serious trouble.
Dawn:
Well you’re in serious trouble because there’s a threat to your life.
Cole:
Well was anything done about that or what was the outcome? Bradley apparently refused any help or advice from the police.
Cole:
Oh right, okay. So, he just accepted that it might be his time to go? Do we know why he was just so accepting of that?
Dawn:
It’s not known for sure, but it is speculated that Bradley didn’t take the threat seriously, thought he could handle it.
Cole:
Oh, I mean, I do understand that, especially with his background.
Dawn:
Yeah, definitely. However, an investigation by the police watchdog, PIRC, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, was launched to look into the actions of the police prior to Bradley’s murder and the handling of the threat to his life. The investigation was completed and a report has been submitted to the Crown for consideration. It was reported in the Daily Record newspaper on the 27th of April 2019 that a further five gangland figures had been handed an Osman notice following Bradley’s murder.
Cole:
Oh, so it was all kicking off.
Dawn:
It did say in a report in the Daily Record newspaper on the 8th of May 2021 that Bradley had reportedly been stressed and worried after David had been attacked at home by Orman.
Cole:
Oh so David did know who had attacked him then?
Dawn:
Well it implies that, yes. Apparently Bradley called Peem the day after the attack on David to try and make sure there wasn’t further trouble. He was worried that due to his friendship with David and Richardson that he could also be on the list.
Cole:
So Bradley was murdered just because he was friends with David and Richardson, is that right?
Dawn:
Well, it does seem that way doesn’t it? But there are other theories too. There have been a couple of underworld sources come out with a couple of different theories. One reported in the Daily Record on the 19th of April 2019 that it was because Bradley had been hired as security to protect three kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of cocaine, worth around £130,000 or $180,000, and this had disappeared and Bradley had to answer for it as it was his responsibility.
Cole:
I thought he’d got out of all of that and was more into charity work and his boxing gym?
Dawn:
Well, yeah, that was my thinking too, and from what I’ve read it was the case. Bradley also did an interview in the Edinburgh Evening News published on the 13th of April 2019, four days before he was murdered, where he said “The things I did, they were wrong, but I understand why I did them, because I had [ f__k ] all. Of course I regret them, I have a daughter and a wee boy who is like a son to me, I want a better society.”
Cole:
Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a guy that’s still heavily involved in the criminal underworld.
Dawn:
It doesn’t, but I guess we’ll never know for sure. But I’m swaying towards what another source has said who had known Bradley for decades and spoke to Bradley about three weeks before his murder. He said in the Sun newspaper on the 14th of May 2021 that he felt he had to break his silence as he wanted to get the truth out. He said that apparently Bradley was murdered for calling Baigrie “a grass”.
Cole:
Oh okay.
Dawn:
So, the story goes like this. When Bradley’s friend Richardson was on remand…
Cole:
Okay, back to Richardson again.
Dawn:
Oh yeah, cause all roads lead to him. So, when he was on remand a wannabe gangster started publicly speaking about Richardson’s case, which was going to jeopardise it. Now, this next bit’s not clear but appears the same wannabe gangster could have actually helped Richardson out by going to court and testifying for him but he refused, which is apparently going against the code of criminals. It was Baigrie who called Bradley and told him that this wannabe criminal wouldn’t be helping Richardson out, and apparently Bradley told them that the pair of them were as good as grasses, telling them that he thought they were just scared of Richardson getting out of jail. This obviously went down like a lead balloon, with Baigrie instantly starting a kill list.
Cole:
Oh wow. I’ve got one of those.
Dawn:
Am I on it on a bad day?
Cole:
You’re always on it.
Dawn:
(laughing) Anyway, from all the programs I’ve watched of Bradley and what I’ve read about him, he wasn’t one for keeping his mouth shut. He just said what he thought. And it didn’t help that he was still involved, if only slightly, in the underworld. They are ruthless.
Cole:
I also say what I think so I can totally understand that. I just don’t come with you know criminal ties. He still didn’t deserve that though did he?
Dawn:
No, he absolutely didn’t deserve it. A source summed it pretty much up in an article in The Daily Record on the 8th of May 2021 when they said that Bradley was collateral damage, an easy target. Everything went back to the hatred between Baigrie and Richardson. Bradley got murdered for no other reason than because of his friendship with Richardson and trying to help him stay out of prison. Well that and calling Baigrie a grass. But, again, that just stemmed back to his friendship with Richardson and trying to help him out. The source went on to say that Bradley wasn’t involved in organised crime, he might try and make peace, but wasn’t part of that world. Anyway, so, back to the trial. Another witness at the trial was a forensic scientist. She confirmed that when the jogging trousers that Orman had been wearing at the time of the shooting, as well as on the day he was arrested, were tested, and firearms residue discharge that had been found on Bradley were compared with the firearms discharge residue that been found in the pockets of Orman’s jogging bottoms, she said the samples were “similar in composition to each other.”
Cole:
Not conclusive, but with all the other witness statements and evidence it’d be good enough for me to convict him.
Dawn:
Yeah. And, so, on Friday the 7th of May 2021, after a 12-day trial, the jury took four hours to find 30 year old Sean Orman guilty of the murder of Bradley Welsh, and the attempted murder of David McMillan. Before being sentenced Judge Lord Beckett said the shooting of Bradley had been a “premeditated and meticulously planned assassination.” He went on to say that “to shoot an unarmed man as he approached his own house was a cowardly and wicked thing to do. His fiancée and young child were inside and you ended his life apparently in the expectation of payment. The court must do all it can to deter contract killings by imposing severe punishment.” Lord Beckett went on to say that Bradley’s fiancée Emma and ten-year-old daughter Eva had suffered following Bradley’s brutal murder. They had lost their home and no longer feel safe. Orman was given a life sentence, and ordered to serve 28 years for Bradley’s murder before he would be eligible for parole, and 10 years for the attempted murder of David. It was reported on the 21st of May 2021 in the Edinburgh Live newspaper that Orman would be appealing his life sentence.
Cole:
What a surprise.
Dawn:
Yeah. He still claims that he was riding his bike alone at the time of Bradley’s murder.
Cole:
Of course he was.
Dawn:
Despite George Baigrie being named during the trial as being the man behind Bradley’s murder, no charges have been brought. However, it was reported in the Sun newspaper that Baigrie, 38, is living in fear and knows he is a marked man. He hasn’t been seen for weeks and has instructed his family not to post any pictures of him on social media. He’s also apparently really paranoid now. So, anyway, the general consensus seemed to be that Bradley was a good guy, a guy with a heart and he loved nothing more than his family, his boxing and his charity work. Yes, he was still friends with gang members from his past, but he wasn’t one to turn his back on anyone. And, so, despite building a new life, his past life still caught up with him. Can you really ever escape the gangster lifestyle once you’ve been part of it? Regardless of which story you’re leaning towards or Bradley’s level of involvement in Edinburgh’s underbelly, he did not deserve to die on the street outside his flat from a shotgun wound to his head. He was 48 years old.
And that’s the end. If you’ve enjoyed this episode and know just the person who’d also like it, please share it with them, don’t keep it to yourself.
Cole:
Please also get in touch on social media if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. All social media and contact details are on our website scottishmurders.com, as well as all the source material and photos related to this episode.
Dawn:
So that’s it for this week, come back next time for another episode of Scottish Murders.
Dawn and Cole:
Join us there. Bye.
Granny Robertson:
Scottish Murders is a production of Cluarantonn.
Scottish Murders is a production of Cluarantonn
Hosted by Dawn and Cole
Researched and Written by Dawn Young
Produced and Edited by Dawn Young and Peter Bull
Production Company Name by Granny Robertson
Music:
Dawn of the Fairies by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
Gothic Wedding by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
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Here are some comments from our Goodpods listeners about our The Bradley Welsh Murder episode;
Gill+Laura @crimedivers said “Great episode as always”
KWAWWTPODCAST @kidswhatarewewatchin said “Another great episode by Dawn & Cole. Really interesting because I remember the news coverage and I knew the gym.”
Kay FMWL @fmwlpod said “So sad, especially since he turned his life around! Great coverage of this story.”
Kelli Madden @kellimadden80 said “Fantastic episode, as always!”
Keely Lopez @keely99 said “Such an interesting story, as always an amazing job and so entertaining!”
Have you listened to this episode? What did you think?