30 April 2021

Gun residue in accused’s pockets matched that on actor’s clothing, trial told

30 April 2021

Firearms discharge found in the pockets of a man accused of killing a Trainspotting T2 actor matched that found on the deceased’s clothing, a court has been told.

Bradley Welsh, 48, was fatally shot at his flat in the west end of Edinburgh on April 17 2019.

Sean Orman, 30, has pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges against him, including murder, attempted murder, firearms and drugs offences, and is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Giving evidence on Friday, forensic scientist Laura Wilcock said black North Face tracksuit bottoms worn by Orman when arrested on April 22 that year had percussion primer – a gun ignition device – firearms discharge residue (FDR) in the pockets.

This was found to have the same chemical composition as FDR recovered from the clothing Mr Welsh was wearing when his body was discovered.

Ms Wilcock said: “This would be the result of this item having had contact with a source of percussion primer FDR.

“Sources might be, for example, being in the vicinity of a discharging weapon, contact with a recently discharged weapon or a cartridge, or a combination of these.”

Bradley Welsh shooting forensics (PA Archive)

Ian Duguid QC, defence counsel, asked whether it would be possible for FDR to be transferred to the pockets after shaking hands with someone who had fired a gun.

Ms Wilcock said that could happen.

Earlier, ballistics expert Martin Connolly said it was not possible to “forensically identify” whether a double-barrelled shotgun he examined was used to kill Mr Welsh.

Mr Duguid asked him: “The process you undertook couldn’t identify distinguishing marks from the roof of Mr Welsh’s mouth and the wadding that was subject to your test fire.

“That is the reason you can’t say, presumably, this was the gun used to shoot Bradley Welsh?”

Mr Connolly replied: “Yes.”

The trial has heard it was possible the same type of gun fired at a property in Edinburgh was used to kill Mr Welsh.

Mr Connolly said on Thursday that examinations of discharged ammunition found in a flat on Duddingston Row and during Mr Welsh’s post-mortem examination showed they were “indistinguishable”.

The court was then told that cartridges found at another property in the city were similar to those fired at Mr Welsh and in the Duddingston Row flat.

Witness Dean White has previously told the court that he saw Orman fire an “old-style” shotgun into the floor of his brother’s property on Duddingston Row.

The trial, before judge Lord Beckett, continues on Tuesday.

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox