The conviction of Michael Ross, who is serving a life sentence for the 1994 murder of waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood in Orkney, is to be reviewed by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC). Ross, who was 15 at the time of the murder, was convicted in 2008. He has consistently maintained his innocence.
Mahmood was shot in the head at close range while serving customers at an Indian restaurant in Kirkwall. Ross, who later joined the Army and became a sniper, had a previous bid for a review rejected by the SCCRC in 2014. The SCCRC has confirmed it received a new application from Ross, which has now been accepted for review. The commission is legally restricted in the information it can disclose about ongoing reviews. The case could ultimately be referred back to the courts if the review finds grounds.
