Fatal Stabbing in Edinburgh
A 17-year-old has admitted to murdering John McNab, 22, with a hunting knife during an unprovoked attack on Great Junction Street in Leith, Edinburgh, on 2 September last year. The teenager was on bail at the time, having been charged with a previous knife attack on a 16-year-old boy months earlier.
The fatal stabbing occurred four months after the youth was released on bail following charges related to the Portobello Beach knife attack. The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty to both offenses and is set to receive an automatic life sentence when sentenced next month.
In CCTV footage presented at the High Court in Edinburgh, McNab can be heard pleading for his life as the youth, then 16, repeatedly stabbed him.
Several of McNab's friends and family members, many wearing T-shirts in his memory, had to leave the courtroom during the distressing footage.
"Please, please don't. I haven't done anything," McNab pleaded before the attack, the court heard.
The court also heard that the teenager messaged a friend describing the attack:
"Ran after him on the middle of Junction Street wi a big Rambo, he fell to the groon and I started stabbing."
Previous Knife Attack and Bail Details
The youth had previously attacked a 16-year-old boy with a knife on 21 March last year at Portobello promenade, chasing and injuring the victim. He was arrested but released on bail after appearing at the city's Sheriff Court on 25 April.
Events Leading to the Murder
Advocate depute Michelle Brannagan explained that prior to the murder, John McNab was socializing with friends when a meeting was arranged for the teenager to purchase cannabis from one of McNab's acquaintances.
The teenager arrived at the meeting wearing a balaclava covering his face and produced cash to buy the drugs. However, a dispute arose when one of McNab's friends tore up the money and slapped the youth, who was also punched in the face.
"John McNab played no part in the exchange," the prosecutor stated.
Following the altercation, the group felt threatened and retreated to a flat, locking the door. When they looked outside, they saw the accused standing nearby. The youth remained outside the flat, at one point smashing a window, before hiding in bushes until McNab left.
As McNab emerged onto the street, the teenager, still wearing the balaclava, ran toward him. McNab attempted to flee but was pursued until he stopped and pleaded with the attacker.
The teenager told him to "shut up" before McNab collapsed beside a traffic island.
Witness Accounts and Emergency Response
A witness testified that they saw McNab lying near a pedestrian crossing while a person dressed in black with their hood up lunged toward him, appearing to punch the left side of his abdomen. The attacker then fled, and McNab briefly managed to stand before his friends found him on the road.
He was bleeding from a stomach wound and was heard saying:
"Help me, help me, I'm dying."
Emergency medical personnel arrived to find McNab had sustained four stab wounds: three to his left thigh and one to his abdomen.
Despite advanced life support measures lasting approximately 40 minutes, McNab went into cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
Evidence and Forensic Findings
Police recovered a hunting knife with a 20 cm (8 in) blade bearing McNab's blood and the teenager's DNA on the handle. A post-mortem examination revealed that the abdominal wound damaged a large artery and vein, causing fatal bleeding.
Psychiatric Assessment and Sentencing
The court heard the teenager was assessed by a psychiatrist and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
Judge Lord Harrower deferred sentencing to next month at the High Court in Dundee to allow preparation of a report. The youth will remain detained in a secure unit until then. The judge also indicated he will consider a BBC motion to lift reporting restrictions on the youth's identity at that time.
Campaigning for Knife Crime Reform
Since her son's murder, John McNab's mother, Lisa Petrie, has campaigned for stricter controls on knife sales. She advocates for knives to be removed from open shelves and placed in locked cabinets behind shop counters to reduce theft risk.
"I need to do it for John," Petrie said. "John has given me the strength to keep going, and if I can make change for him, I've got to keep going."
The 44-year-old care support worker has taken her campaign to Edinburgh's city chambers, where she received a standing ovation from councillors. She has also addressed hundreds of pupils at Fettes College, where she previously worked as a cleaner.
More than 53,000 people have signed her petition calling for tighter knife sale security. Petrie has distributed 37 bleeding control kits around Edinburgh, which are emergency medical packs designed to treat severe bleeding.
