Paid assassin admits murdering suspected gangster at pub on Hogmanay

A paid assassin who admitted murdering a man in a gangland shooting outside a pub on Hogmanay 2023 has been told by a judge “the streets of Scotland are not war zones” and warned he may never be released from prison.

Marc Webley, 38, was fatally shot outside the Anchor Inn, Granton, Edinburgh, just after 11.30pm on December 31, 2023.

The father-of-two, who was suspected by police to be involved in organised crime, had been warned his life was in danger and was wearing a stab vest, the High Court in Edinburgh was told.

Grant Hunter pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder at the court on Thursday.

Hunter, 34, pulled up outside the busy pub in a stolen Hyundai SUV and wearing a balaclava, when he was approached by Webley and his friend Stewart Pearson, the court heard.

CCTV footage, which was shown in court, captured Webley showing his mobile phone to Hunter, who then removed his mask and opened fire, hitting Mr Pearson, who was injured.

Webley, who could be seen on CCTV holding a knife, ran for his life but was shot in the back.

Despite attempts by pub staff and customers to give him CPR, he was pronounced dead in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the early hours of January 1, 2024.

At the court on Thursday, Hunter’s girlfriend Emma McVie, 27, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by cleaning the inside of the stolen Hyundai after the shooting and cleaning their clothes.

Co-accused Gary Robertson, 22, also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice, for paying Hunter on behalf of “others unknown”, the court heard.

Judge Frank Mulholland branded the killer “callous and arrogant” and said the “paid assassin” may never be released.

Hunter was arrested and remanded in custody on January 4, 2024 at a flat with co-accused McVie, after police identified him from CCTV the day after the murder, the court heard.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC said that hours after the murder, on January 1, Hunter “expressed frustration at having to wait to be paid”, and “suggested he expected to be paid a substantial amount of money for the shooting”, as well as making jokes about Webley’s death, the court heard.

He said the couple were staying at a flat in Edinburgh when Hunter raised concerns about the stolen car being recovered by police, and McVie replied: “It’s OK I wiped it all down.”

Three days later, the couple arrived at a flat in Gorgie, Edinburgh, and McVie handed bags of clothing to the occupant to be washed, hours before police attended and made the arrests, the court heard.

The car was recovered on January 2, and a glove and a burnt pair of jogging bottoms were found in the footwell, providing a DNA match for career-criminal Hunter, who had an extensive record, the prosecutor said.

Mr Jessop added: “A witness who was in the company of Grant Hunter on January 1 told police he heard Hunter making jokes about Marc Webley not seeing the bells, and at one stage, said he had pulled his mask down so Webley knew who had done it to him, and had fired at Webley while he was running away.”

The court heard Hunter was paid £400 by Robertson who also provided an ounce of cocaine on January 1, and was later paid another £300, via a third party.

Robertson also visited JD Sports and spent almost £400 on clothing for the couple on January 2, and was arrested on February 1, the court heard.

Hunter was told he would be given a life sentence, and the judge added: “There is no guarantee you will ever be released.”

All three co-accused are from Edinburgh, and the judge told them: “This is not Chicago in the 1930s.”

Lord Mulholland said: “Grant Hunter, you pleaded guilty to a crime of the utmost gravity. 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 breathtaking, 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 aid of the victim.”

The judge said the shooting was connected to organised crime.

He warned McVie and Robertson to expect “lengthy sentences”.

The court heard the gun is still on the streets, and a post-mortem examination showed the bullet bounced off Webley’s stab vest and re-entered.

Lord Mulholland said: “The streets of Edinburgh and Scotland are not war zones, this is not Chicago in 1930s. Take them away.”

Detective Superintendent Graham Grant said: “The violence involved, which resulted in the death of a young man, is absolutely senseless.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Marc Webley. Although this was a targeted attack, there was absolutely no regard for the safety of the community by discharging a firearm outside a busy pub on New Year’s Eve.

“One man lost his life and another was seriously injured, but this incident could also have left other people seriously injured – or worse.”

Sentence on all three was deferred until December 17 at the High Court in Glasgow.