A group of men who violently attacked a man on Hogmanay last year have been sentenced.
Following the conclusion of a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on 26th August, Aaron Thomson (20), Kane Reilly (18), Dillin Armstrong (24) and a 16-year-old man, were found guilty of attempted murder.
Today, Thomsom and Armstrong were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, Reilly received eight years in prison, and the 16-year-old was ordered to serve seven years in prison.
A fifth man, Dean Riding or Renton (22), had earlier pled guilty to his part in the attempted murder and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
A sixth man, Jayson Dodds (19), was found guilty of assault to injury following the trial and was ordered to serve four years in prison.
Officers were called to Delta Drive in Musselburgh shortly before 11pm on Monday 31st December 2018 following reports a large scale disturbance in the street. A 25-year-old man was found to have been attacked by the group who had armed themselves with various weapons, which included knives, a metal pole and a rock.
The victim sustained serious head and facial injuries, along with a number of puncture wounds to his body, as a result of the attack.
Officers launched a thorough investigation into the incident which saw the six men arrested and charged in early January 2019.
Detective Constable Ryan Gilhooly from Dalkeith CID said: “This was a horrifically violent attack by the men who showed complete disregard for the victim’s life. Their brutal actions could have cost the man his life and this has been a complex inquiry to ensure those responsible have been brought to account for their actions.
“Following the incident we issued an appeal to the public for assistance which resulted in a significant number of witnesses coming forward. This provided detectives with vital information so that we could progress our inquiries and trace those involved. I’d like to thank these people, along with the local community, for their support whilst our inquiries were ongoing.
“I’d like to thank the victim for his assistance throughout our inquiries and hope that the sentencing today will offer some comfort as he moves forward from his ordeal. Violent crime has no place in society and we remain committed to bringing perpetrators of such crimes before the courts.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
