Tommy Morrison, the Tartan Army supporter who went viral during the World Cup, has pled guilty to leaving a man bleeding and unconscious in a brutal street attack. The 38-year-old joiner from Bonnyrigg appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, where he admitted assault to severe injury and serious impairment. The charge was reduced from attempted murder.
Attack outside Bonnyrigg pubs
The court heard that Morrison’s victim, Ryan Wain, had been on a pub crawl with a woman named Ms McClure on the night of May 22, 2025. The pair had visited the Calderwood Inn and the Anvil Inn in Bonnyrigg when they encountered Morrison.
Witnesses said the couple, who were being loud, were thought to have been arguing, and that Morrison shouted “woman beater” at Mr Wain before dragging him to the ground by his clothes. Mr Wain hit his head on the concrete and lost consciousness before Morrison battered punches into his head and stomach.
The prosecution said Ms McClure pleaded with Morrison to stop and tried to pull him off her friend, but failed due to Morrison’s size. Morrison continued to punch and kick Wain while he was unconscious before running away towards the Anvil Inn.
Victim’s injuries and police response
Police arrived to find Mr Wain on the pavement with part of his body on a busy main road. He was coming in and out of consciousness with a swelling on his skull and blood pouring from his mouth and ear. He was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where medics diagnosed a frontal skull fracture. His injuries have left him suffering from hearing loss and a loss of sense of smell and taste.
Morrison later handed himself in to police three weeks after the attack.
Viral romance and split
Morrison became known as ‘Tartan Army Tommy’ during the World Cup after meeting ‘Boston Jill’ in June. Jill Roberts, a 42-year-old American mum from Boston, went to watch the Boston Red Sox for Pride Night, unaware that thousands of Scotland supporters would also descend on the ballpark for the game against the Toronto Blue Jays. On her way home, she bumped into Tommy, who was heading towards the train station.
A brief conversation followed, with Jill recording their encounter and the video racking up thousands of views on social media. Despite not exchanging numbers, the pair were connected when one of Tommy’s ex-girlfriends passed over his details. They began messaging on WhatsApp, with Jill describing the relationship as an unexpected gift from Scotland’s World Cup adventure. Their relationship blossomed so much that Jill booked flights to Scotland for a special reunion.
In August, Jill ended their relationship. The Record revealed that Tommy had appeared in court in January this year on charges of offences under Solemn Procedure, usually dealt with by trial before a judge and a jury of 15 people. When discussing the split, Jill said Tommy had “some unresolved connections with the past that he needs to resolve or pursue.”
In an emotional video, she said: “I really don’t like the position I am in right now. I know many of you have said that I don’t have to explain myself to anyone, which is totally true. We are all adults. We can do our own thing. I don’t owe anyone an explanation on any decisions that I make. But, I’m in this position where I went pretty public with a relationship and now things have changed.
“Where do things stand with me and Tommy? I’ve let him know that it’s over for me based on some things that happened. He has some unresolved connections with the past that he needs to resolve or pursue. I am walking away from this relationship with my head held high, feeling good and having clarity on it. It is what it is.
“So many of you have been so invested in our relationship so I feel some level of explanation is good, healthy and appropriate. But, I don’t want to overdo that. I don’t want people to fill in the blanks with something else that’s not true.”
Fans of the pair begged her to continue with her trip to Scotland, and last month she arrived in the country for a week-long adventure that took her from Edinburgh to Crieff and Glasgow, where she met legions of online supporters and even watched Celtic beat Aberdeen at Parkhead.
Sentencing and bail
Tommy Morrison will be sentenced on October 30. He has been released on bail with a non-harassment order.
