Experts 'could not confirm shotgun was used to kill actor'

A gun shown to firearms experts could not be forensically identified as the one used to kill a Trainspotting T2 actor, 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, 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.

Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC said: “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 that 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, Edinburgh, 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.