A young person has confessed to the murder of a man using a hunting knife in Edinburgh, despite being out on bail for another attack on a teenager just months earlier. The 17-year-old, whose identity is protected due to being a minor, pursued and fatally wounded 22-year-old John McNab by repeatedly stabbing him on Great Junction Street in Leith, Edinburgh, on September 2, 2025.
This violent incident occurred four months after the teenager had been released on bail following charges for assaulting a 16-year-old with a knife at Portobello Beach. The youth admitted guilt for both crimes and is expected to receive a mandatory life sentence at the upcoming sentencing next month.
During the court proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh, it was revealed that Mr. McNab pleaded with his attacker before the fatal stabbing, desperately asking him to stop as he claimed innocence. The assailant, who was 16 at the time, bragged to a friend about the attack, stating, “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.”
Distressing CCTV footage of the attack on Mr. McNab was shown in court, causing some of the victim’s loved ones to leave the courtroom. Many of them wore T-shirts in honor of John McNab.
In the prior incident on March 21, 2025, the youth had pursued and gravely injured a 16-year-old boy. He was subsequently granted bail by a sheriff at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on April 25, 2025.
According to Advocate depute Michelle Brannagan, the confrontation leading to Mr. McNab’s murder occurred after a meeting was arranged for the youth to purchase cannabis from one of Mr. McNab’s acquaintances. The situation escalated when a disagreement arose and Mr. McNab’s friend tore up the money offered for the drugs, leading to a physical altercation. Mr. McNab was not involved in the altercation.
Following this, Mr. McNab and his friends fled and sought refuge in a flat as they were being pursued by the youth, who threatened them. Despite trying to escape, Mr. McNab was identified by his girlfriend as the aggressor, leading to a violent encounter.
The attacker, disguised in a balaclava, ambushed Mr. McNab as he left the flat, chasing and assaulting him. Witnesses reported hearing Mr. McNab cry for help before collapsing due to his injuries. Paramedics arrived at the scene and attempted to save him, but he succumbed to his wounds.
Police statements indicated that the youth was responsible for the attack, and forensic evidence linked him to the crime. A post-mortem examination revealed the severity of Mr. McNab’s injuries, which ultimately led to his death.
The judge presiding over the case, Lord Harrower, postponed the sentencing of the young offender for further evaluation, with a decision on lifting identification restrictions pending at the High Court in Dundee next month.