A paid assassin who shot dead a suspected gangster on a packed Edinburgh street on Hogmanay faces sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday. Grant Hunter (34) pleaded guilty to murdering Marc Webley (38) and attempting to murder Stewart Pearson outside the Anchor Inn in Granton on December 31, 2023.
Hunter pulled up in a stolen Hyundai SUV just after 11:30pm, wearing a balaclava. In a chilling display, he deliberately removed his mask so Webley could see who was taking his life, then opened fire with four shots. Webley, whom police had warned about threats to his life and who was wearing a stab vest, died in the early hours of January 1 at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
CCTV footage captured Webley holding a knife during the confrontation. Pub staff and customers attempted to give him CPR at the scene.
Callous aftermath
Hours after the murder, on January 1, Hunter expressed frustration about delayed payment for the killing. Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC told a November hearing that Hunter expected payment of a substantial amount of money for the shooting and made jokes about Webley's death.
Police identified Hunter from CCTV the day after the murder and arrested him on January 4 at a flat he shared with his girlfriend Emma McVie (27). She had cleaned the inside of the stolen Hyundai and their clothes after the shooting.
Judge's stark warning
Judge Frank Mulholland described Hunter as "callous and arrogant" and warned he might never be released. Addressing Hunter directly in November, he said: "[...] You were a paid assassin. You assassinated a man in a public street in Edinburgh and were paid a substantial amount. Your callousness and arrogance was breath-taking, removing your mask so the victim would see who was taking his life, discharging four shots, and wounding another man who would have come to the aid of the victim."
The judge added: "the streets of Edinburgh and Scotland are not war zones, this is not Chicago in the 1930s"
Police suspected Webley of involvement in organised crime.
McVie and co-accused Gary Robertson (22), who both pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice, also face sentencing on Wednesday.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
