A 17-year-old boy has admitted murdering 22-year-old John McNab with a hunting knife in Edinburgh in September 2025 while on bail after slashing a teenager five months earlier
A teenager has admitted murdering a man with a hunting knife in Edinburgh while on bail for slashing another teenager months earlier.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, chased and killed 22-year-old John McNab by repeatedly striking him with a knife on Great Junction Street in Leith, Edinburgh, on September 2, 2025.
The stabbing came four months after the youth was released on bail after being charged with a knife attack on a 16-year-old boy at Portobello Beach. He pleaded guilty to both offences and will be given an automatic life sentence when he is sentenced next month.
On Wednesday, the High Court in Edinburgh heard that Mr McNab pleaded with his attacker before the stabbing, saying: “Please, please don’t. I haven’t done anything.” The killer – who was 16 at the time – messaged a friend after the attack saying: “Ran after him on the middle of Junction Street wi a big Rambo, he fell to the groon and I started stabbing f*** oot o him.”
Harrowing CCTV footage of the attack on Mr McNab was played to the court, prompting some of the victim’s friends and family to leave the courtroom. Many wore T-shirts in memory of the victim, Edinburgh Live reports.
In the earlier attack on March 21, 2025, the youth pursued a 16-year-old boy and seriously injured him. He was later released on bail by a sheriff at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on April 25, 2025.
Advocate depute Michelle Brannagan said that before the murder, Mr McNab had been socialising with friends and a meeting was arranged for the youth to buy cannabis from one of Mr McNab’s friends.
The teenager turned up wearing a balaclava and produced cash to buy drugs, but a disagreement arose and one of Mr McNab’s friends ripped up the notes and slapped him. The prosecutor said: “John McNab played no part in the exchange.”
Mr McNab and his friends walked away but were followed by the youth, who shouted: “F***ing come here.” Fearing for their safety, they ran to a flat and locked the door, but later saw him outside.
Mr McNab messaged his girlfriend saying they had “just got chased with a samurai sword” and named the teenager as the attacker.
The youth remained nearby and at one point smashed a window at the flat. He was heard shouting “come on then” before taking a large knife in a sheath from a rucksack. He then hid in bushes and waited until Mr McNab left the flat.
When Mr McNab stepped outside, the youth – still wearing a balaclava – chased and attacked him. Ms Brannagan said: “A resident in the area overheard the disturbance and described a distressed male shouting ‘please don’t’. He heard what he thought was someone tripping and a thud.”
She added: “On looking out of his window, he saw Mr McNab lying on the ground near the pedestrian crossing, with a person dressed in black, their hood up, lunging down towards the male on the ground as though punching the left side of his abdomen.”
The attacker ran off and Mr McNab managed to briefly get to his feet. He repeatedly called out for help before collapsing. His friends, who were still at the flat, heard him and ran from the property and found him on the road.
Ms Brannagan said: “Mr McNab was bleeding from a wound to his stomach and was heard to say ‘help me, help me, I’m dying’.”
Paramedics arrived and found the victim had sustained four stab wounds – three to his left thigh and one to his abdomen.
The prosecutor said: “John McNab went into cardiac arrest. Advanced life support measures were carried out, with efforts continuing for some 40 minutes, unfortunately without success.”
Police at the scene heard comments indicating that the youth was responsible for the attack.
The prosecutor said: “They were clear that there had been an issue with the accused earlier in the night but that John McNab had played no part in it.”
Officers later recovered a hunting knife with Mr McNab’s blood on the 20cm blade and DNA from the youth on the handle.
A post-mortem found that a wound to the victim’s abdomen had penetrated about 10cm and damaged the largest artery and vein in the body, causing fatal bleeding.
The judge, Lord Harrower, deferred sentence on the youth for the preparation of a report until next month at the High Court in Dundee. He said he will consider a motion by the BBC to lift reporting restrictions on the identification of the youth at that stage.
