Overview
- The High Court in Dundee sentenced the unnamed 17-year-old to a life term with a 17-year minimum on Thursday, June 4, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to murder and an earlier knife assault.
- Prosecutors relied on CCTV that shows the defendant chasing 22-year-old John McNab on Great Junction Street in Leith before repeatedly stabbing him; McNab died at the scene from four wounds.
- The blade used was a roughly 20-inch knife engraved 'kombat tactical', images of which have been released by the Crown Office as evidence in the case.
- At the time of the killing the teenager was on bail for a March 2025 slashing of a 16-year-old in Portobello, a fact highlighted in court as central to calls for stricter bail decisions for those charged with serious knife offences.
- McNab’s mother has met Scottish Government officials and is campaigning for knives to be kept behind counters, more community bleed kits, and changes to bail policy, while prosecutors warn this case shows the real harm of young people carrying blades and could shape local policy debates.