A teenage murderer who killed a man with a Rambo knife after being released on bail has been sentenced to life in detention, with a minimum term of 17 years. The 17-year-old, whose identity remains protected by law despite media efforts to lift his anonymity, lay in wait with an eight-inch blade before chasing John McNab and stabbing him to death in Edinburgh.
The Attack
The 22-year-old victim pleaded for his life as the teenager struck him repeatedly on Great Junction Street in the Leith area of the capital on September 2. The killer, then 16, boasted to a friend in a message: '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.'
He appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Dundee on Thursday, having admitted the murder at a previous hearing last month. The teenager also pleaded guilty to another knife attack on March 21, 2025, at Portobello beach in Edinburgh, where he pursued a 16-year-old boy and seriously wounded him. He was granted bail on April 25 last year before committing the murder.
Court Proceedings
The courtroom was filled with Mr McNab's friends and family, many of whom wept as Lord Harrower delivered the sentence. The judge stated: 'You have been convicted of the murder of John McNab, a young man with everything to live for, and whose loss has left an incalculable void in the lives of his family and friends. This was caught on CCTV and played in court. Those present will never forget what they saw and heard. They saw John McNab being chased by you along Great Junction Street, pleading for his life as he realised he could not outrun you, and his screams as you repeatedly plunged the knife into his body.'
Lord Harrower noted that the teenager had initially tried to buy cannabis from a group including Mr McNab and became angry when they tore his money up. He added: 'You pursued the group. They locked themselves inside a flat while you remained in the area. Half an hour later you climbed into bushes. You waited 40 minutes, armed and wearing a balaclava. John McNab left the flat. Following a chase he fell to the ground and as he lay there you carried out a merciless attack. Afterwards you sent voice notes and messages boasting about the stabbing.'
Background and Sentencing
The judge described the killer as 'preoccupied with violence' and said he had 'persisted with antisocial attitudes and behaviours' since being remanded. He continued: 'You accept the murder was pre-planned and premeditated. Violence and conflict have become normal for you.' Mark Stewart, KC, defending, stated: 'Violence seems to be seen by him as a solution to any challenges or attacks upon his status.'
During earlier proceedings, advocate depute Michelle Brannagan revealed that Mr McNab had been heard saying: 'Help me, help me, I'm dying.' A psychiatrist diagnosed the killer with autism spectrum disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
After sentencing, a hearing took place where the BBC and STV argued for the removal of the killer's anonymity, but Lord Harrower rejected the application, saying: 'Naming him at this stage risks reinforcing his own unhelpful self-presentation.'
Reactions
Mr McNab's mother, Lisa Petrie, told BBC Scotland News: 'Our law needs to change. Our sale of knives need to change. Our culture needs to change. I've already lost my child. Let's not lose any more.' Laura Buchan, legal director with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: 'The murder of John McNab shows the serious and tragic harm caused when someone chooses to carry and use a bladed weapon.'
