Orkney Assassin living in 'no man's land' as Michael Ross pleads innocence 30 years on

Daily Record

09-06-2025

Michael Ross was just 15-years-old when he murdered waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood in Orkney in 1994.
Michael Ross' lawyer has described his client's existence as akin to being in "no man's land" while he continues to assert his innocence three decades on.
Back in June 1994, an individual donning a balaclava entered the Mumataz Restaurant in Kirkwall at approximately 7.10pm and fatally shot 26-year-old waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood before exiting the premises.
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Ross, who was a teenager at the time of the crime, was eventually arrested and found guilty of the murder in 2008.
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Following his guilty verdict, Ross notoriously attempted to flee the High Court in Glasgow but failed and is currently serving a life sentence at HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire, as reported by the BBC.
Prime Video has recently unveiled a one-off special titled The Orkney Assassin: Murder In The Isles, which includes interviews with law enforcement officers, eyewitnesses, journalists, and Ross' parents.
Speaking exclusively with Screen Time prior to the documentary's premiere, Ross' lawyer Aamer Anwar provided insights into his client's current situation.
"I suppose he's very much in no man's land," he stated.
"The difficulty with an appeal is...if you've ever watched Shawshank Redemption and Andy comes into prison and Morgan Freeman tells him 'Don't you know everyone's innocent inside'.
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"But I've come to learn from over 25 years of being a lawyer that the reality is there are lots of innocent people inside prison.
"How to prove it is another matter, because the system is almost a raid against human rights throughout the United Kingdom, to be able to fight your appeal and to prove your innocence.
"And even if you say you have five pinnacles of evidence, five issues, and one is so critical.
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"For instance, someone comes in and lies about you and says 'I saw him, that's definitely him.'
"But that person is ruled out, 'well we'll still rely on the other four afterwards.'".
"The damage is already done. So therein lies the problem, as in people remain convicted."
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Anwar then highlighted the significance of DNA in cases like Ross', stating: "The idea that someone could walk into a restaurant, shoot someone at point blank range and not leave anything of themselves, beggar's belief.
"I always say to my lecture students, to commit a murder is extremely difficult.
"To not leave anything of yourself: footprints, DNA, CCTV maybe, whatever it may be.
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"Fair enough, this is a remote island but there were still people there.
"The idea that this person then disappears into the darkness? Then begs the question that people always said, 'well they never closed the ports of entry and exit.'
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"Is it somebody from off the island that came on, well how do they know? They didn't."
Despite three decades having passed, Ross continues to maintain his innocence.
The former Army sniper has attempted to break out of prison thrice, with his most recent attempt in 2018 involving an effort to scale a fence.
"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."