Michael Ross' lawyer hopes The Orkney Assassin documentary will 'encourage new witnesses'

Edinburgh Live

10-06-2025

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Michael Ross' lawyer is optimistic that the new Prime Video documentary The Orkney Assassin: Murder In The Isles will unearth "new evidence".
It's been three decades since the appalling murder of 26 year old Shamsuddin Mahmood, who was shot dead while working at Mumtaz Restaurant in Kirkwall, Orkney.
The masked assailant entered the restaurant and swiftly left after firing the fatal shot, leaving onlookers in shock.
Ross, who faced questioning at age 15, managed to avoid arrest for 14 years until his 2008 conviction.
To commemorate the anniversary of Mahmood's murder, Prime Video has launched the documentary, featuring insights from journalists, ex-police officers, Ross' family, and eyewitnesses.
(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
Ross' legal representative Aamer Anwar shared the main motivations for participating in the Prime Video production.
"The basis for us taking part in this was one, to ensure it was a balanced documentary," he explained.
"I appreciate at the end of the day that Michael is a convicted killer and of course, this is not a case of no documentary would be doing its job if it simply presented all one side unless you could provide completely overwhelming evidence, as has happened in the past. This is not one of those cases.
"But we were very much of the view that the passage of time either means that there's somebody on the island that knows more than they said at the time.
(Image: PRIME VIDEO/ORKNEY PHOTOGRPAHIC)
"There are people who were scared at the time, the passage of time might have taken that away or people who have a guilty conscience that they didn't come forward.
"And one hopes that those people would at this stage. That would strike as new evidence, that would be people who didn't come forward, to explain what happened, who saw what happened, who knew what happened, who knew exactly who it was that pulled the trigger."
In the time since his conviction, Ross has remained adamant that he isn't guilty of murdering Mahmood when he was 15.
'You still have someone who claims he is innocent, who has never given up that he is innocent, who is still fighting to prove his innocence.', Anwar added.
'He could have made his life a lot easier by saying 'I did it.' A lot more chance of parole then, a lot more chance of getting out earlier.'
The Orkney Assassin: Murder In The Isles is available to watch on Prime Video.