A masked man entered the packed Marmion pub in Edinburgh, gripping a sawn-off shotgun, and opened fire, killing one man and seriously injuring another. The shooter, Jamie Bain, was pursued through the streets by a mob who beat him with the butt of his own weapon before he was cornered near his home.
The Attack and Its Immediate Aftermath
On April 22, 2006, Bain, fuelled by cocaine, targeted relatives of his partner Dionne Hendry, a member of the notorious Hendry family. The attack left Alex McKinnon dead and James Hendry injured. Bain was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years.
At his trial, Bain claimed he had no memory of the events, stating, “I honestly can’t remember anything. Alex was a good friend so I can’t understand why it would’ve happened. I cried when I was told he was dead.”
The Turbulent Relationship and Family Feud
Bain and Dionne Hendry were childhood sweethearts who had children together. Their relationship was marked by violence and a deep-seated feud between their families. In 2014, the couple married in Shotts Prison, a union described by a Hendry family member as “a marriage made in hell.”
The wedding reignited tensions, leading to a series of violent incidents in Edinburgh, including a gun attack on Dionne’s Range Rover and a hoax bomb left on her doorstep.
Further Violence and Legal Battles
In 2007, Bain sought to become the first prisoner in Scotland to have conjugal visits, but the request was denied. The feud continued, with Dionne’s brother jailed for assaulting Bain’s family. In September 2014, a wave of violence included a house being sprayed with bullets and a homemade bomb left at Dionne’s home.
The survivor of the Marmion shooting, James Hendry, was later jailed for culpable homicide after killing a former royal bodyguard in 2008. He died suddenly in December at age 40.
