Two men who carried out a petrol bomb attack on a house amid an escalating gang war have been handed extended sentences for attempted murder.
Richard Ordish, 19, and Kurtis Young, 42, previously admitted “wilfully” setting fire to a property in the Hay Drive area of Edinburgh on April 4 last year, damaging the building and another in the street, and endangering the lives of two people.
They pleaded guilty to attempting to murder the two people in an offence aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.
The High Court in Glasgow heard the “callous” attack came amid an escalating gang feud in Scotland’s central belt which was being investigated by police as part of Operation Portaledge.
Sentences Handed Down
Lord Arthurson handed both men extended sentences of 15 years for Young and 11 years for Ordish when they returned to the court on Tuesday.
Young will serve 11 years behind bars while Ordish will spend seven years in custody and both will be supervised for four years on licence upon release.
Lord Arthurson said: “This was a callous, concerted and targeted crime, perpetrated by you with your faces masked and in the context of an escalating organised crime gang war.
“It was carried out during hours of darkness in a residential street, while your putative victims and those living around them slept.
“It had the very real potential to kill and the scope of your criminal plan was, you have accepted by virtue of your guilty pleas encompassing the attempted murder of two people, a wholly murderous one.”
Details of the Attack
The court heard it was Young who threw the petrol bomb into the house, with the judge describing him as a “seasoned criminal”, while Ordish sat on the motorbike on which they then fled from the scene.
Five fire engines were needed to put out the blaze, which caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage.
Addressing the men, Lord Arthurson said: “You acquired two fuel containers, filled them with petrol and travelled by motorbike to the location of your crime.
“At around 1am on April 4 2025, each of you, with your faces masked, was present at the scene.”
He added: “Footage of this event, later posted online by you Mr Ordish, was played in court on the date of your pleas of guilty being tendered.”
Defence Statements
Solicitor advocate Ewen Roy, representing Young, said his client’s drug use had led him into serious organised crime.
Mr Roy said: “He was asked to do this crime for money which he used to pay off a drug debt.
“He was made aware that the target house was supposed to be unoccupied at the time of the offence but he recognises that this was a semi-detached house and there were dangers for neighbours and the wider community.
“He has accepted that his actions amount to wicked recklessness.”
He said Young, a father-of-three, has demonstrated “real remorse”.
Advocate Jonny Campbell, representing Ordish, said a financial incentive and a “significant degree of pressure” had led the teenager to agree to drive someone to the scene.
He said: “There was a lack of maturity and consequential thinking. He had not properly considered the fully implications of what he had become involved in.
“He recognises there was potential for serious injury or loss of life arising from his actions.”
Police Response
Police Scotland said the investigation was part of inquiries into violent incidents in the east and west of Scotland under Operation Portaledge.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “This was a reckless and dangerous act and Kurtis Young and Richard Ordish will now face the consequences of their actions.
“Today’s sentence sends a message that there is no place for this type of behaviour in our communities.”
