Man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of Mark Squires

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an Edinburgh man in the west of the city.

24-year-old Nico Allan launched an unprovoked attack on 44-year-old Mark Squires as he waited on a taxi in the Longstone area of the city.

He repeatedly punched and kicked the victim before hitting him with a glass bottle in the early hours of October 22. As a result he suffered serious head injuries.

The 44-year-old was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he died several hours later.

Squires had earlier attended a fundraiser for a sick friend, which he had organised, at a Hearts supporters club on Longstone Road.

Police Scotland’s Major Investigations Team launched an investigation, which resulted in Allan subsequently being arrested and charged. He was found guilty of murder on Wednesday 8 August at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Pinkney of the Major Investigation Team said: “We welcome the sentence today of Nico Allan and our thoughts and condolences remain with Mark’s friends and family.

“The senseless and brutal actions of Allan caused horrific injuries to Mark that he was ultimately unable to recover from.

“Police Scotland is committed to tackling crime of violence and we will work tirelessly along with our colleagues at COPFS to ensure violent offenders are removed from our communities.”