Murder case documentary to share ‘shocking revelation’

“Secret recordings” of the man convicted of the 1994 murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood are set to air as part of a new BBC investigative series on the killing.

The three-part documentary will also feature tales of two hitmen and a “shocking revelation” on the crime, which saw a balaclava-clad gunman shoot the Bangladeshi waiter in front of shocked diners in Kirkwall’s Mumutaz Indian Restaurant.

The Man in the Mask: An Orkney Murder is to air this month, re-examining the case with input from friends and relatives of Michael Ross, and the man he was convicted of murdering.

It was on the evening of June 2, 1994, that the gunman walked into the Bridge Street restaurant and shot Mr Mahmood before fleeing the scene.

After a lengthy investigation, the case then took a dramatic turn when Ross, a 15-year-old Orkney schoolboy at the time, emerged as the prime suspect.

It would take 14 years and the emergence of a new witness before he was brought to trial and convicted of the cold-blooded murder in 2008.

Ross, a former Black Watch sergeant, has always maintained his innocence.

The BBC new series, presented by journalist Hazel Martin, is to revisit the case.

“She painstakingly analyses the evidence from the investigations and proceedings which eventually led to Michael Ross going on trial at the High Court in Glasgow in May 2008,” a synopsis of the documentary says.

This includes new insights into the case being revealed by key figures from the investigations and court hearings, and relatives and friends of both Mr Mahmood and Ross share their recollections.

The series is said to feature “secret recordings” of Michael Ross in prison, as well as exploring the background of the victim, and a story of two hitmen who, the broadcaster says, used to live near Mr Mahmood before he came to Orkney.

The Man in the Mask: An Orkney Murder is a Rogan North production for BBC Scotland and iPlayer.

All episodes are available on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday, November 25.