Orkney killer Michael Ross' mum breaks down after quizzing him on horrific murder

Daily Record

08-06-2025

The Orkney Assassin examines the shocking case of Michael Ross
The mother of Michael Ross, the man incarcerated for the 1994 slaying of a Bangladeshi waiter in Orkney, crumbled into tears during a recent documentary about the crime, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
The poignant scenes in The Orkney Assassin show Moira Ross breaking down as she recalls asking her then-teenage son if he was behind the murder.
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Speaking to the documentary team, she said: "I remember him coming home with the detective. He was just his normal self.
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"All he wanted to do was come down and have a biscuit and something to eat because he'd been starving when he was being questioned at the police station. So he was hungry."
Moira carried on: "Then he went up to his room and sat there and I did go up and ask him, I said, 'Did you shoot that man?' And he said , 'No.'"
"And I just can't get over the look on his face when I asked him that."
Deeply moved, Moira shed tears as her spouse, ex-police officer Eddy Ross, sat nex to her with a tearful demeanour.
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Ross was merely 15 when Shamsuddin Mahmood, aged 26, was fatally shot by someone masked in Mumtaz Restaurant in Kirkwall amidst diners, which included children.
Mahmood's previously worked on the island the year before, and his untimely demise stirred considerable trepidation in the Bangladeshi community concerning small-town relocations for fear of similar tragedies.
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Following police detention and questioning, the youngster was subsequently let go.
The case baffled the authorities for years, with former soldier Ross eventually being convicted of the murder and given a 25-year sentence in 2008.
In a dramatic turn of events, ex-Army sniper Ross tried to escape the courtroom after the guilty verdict was announced, nearly succeeding before he was caught.
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Police later discovered a stash of weapons in a car park nearby, in a vehicle rented by Ross.
The Orkney Assassin, which launches on Prime Video today (June 8), provides new insights into the shocking 31 year old cold-blooded murder.
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From Ross' parents, who firmly maintain his innocence, to eyewitnesses, journalists, police detectives, and legal representatives involved in the case at the time, The Orkney Assassin examines all aspects of the case.
The Orkney Assassin questions whether Mahmood's tragic death was a racist attack or even a professional hit as the evidence is reevaluated.
Despite his conviction, Ross has always insisted he is innocent, with the campaign group J4MR - Justice 4 Michael Ross attempting to overturn the verdict and claiming it's a massive miscarriage of justice.
Ross is currently serving his sentence at HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire and has made three attempts to escape from prison since his incarceration began.