A  man has been sentenced to life imprisonment today for the murder of Mark Squires in Edinburgh last year.

Nico Allan, 24, has been ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years after being found guilty of the murdering Mr Squires in the Longstone area.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Mr Squires, a carer for his mother, had been attending a fundraiser he had arranged for a sick friend.

He and another friend were awaiting a taxi home from the Longstone area, when he was attacked in the early hours of 22 October 2017.

Allan launched an unprovoked attack on his victim. He repeatedly punched and kicked him; stamped on his head and struck him with a glass bottle.

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.”

Speaking following the sentencing, Nicola Patrick, Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime, said: “This was an unprovoked attack carried out with a shocking level of violence.

“It is clear Nico Allan had no thought or concern for the consequences of his actions and Mark Squires has lost his life as a result.”