Belle Chevex salon on Albert Street in Leith was torched in a gangland firebombing on March 6, with Logan Carlin, 24, pleading guilty in court on Tuesday.
Belle Cheveux beauty parlour pictured after the blaze(Image: Crown Office)
Shocking images showing the smouldering aftermath of an Edinburgh salon destroyed in a gangland firebombing have been released. Belle Cheveux on Albert Street was targeted by Logan Carlin, 24, on March 6.
The salon was owned by Mark Richardson’s partner. Carlin appeared in court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully setting fire to the shop. The court heard how witnesses heard male voices outside the shop shortly after 2am that morning, reports the Daily Record.
Prosecutor Leanne McQuillan told judge Lord Summers of what they saw as neighbours looked out their windows. She said: “One neighbour looked out her window and heard another bang and shattering glass.
“She could see one male in the street smashing the window of the locus which took about five attempts. The male then picked up an item from the ground which she thought looked like a bottle with a tissue or towel within it, lit the tissue and threw it into the locus.
“She heard him shout ‘think you can f**k over my pals’. She called 999. She then heard the screech of either a car or a motorbike heading in the direction of Easter Road.
“She could identify the male as having a local Edinburgh accent, average build 20s to 30s and wearing a dark or navy hooded tracksuit. The police and fire service attended and residents were evacuated from the neighbouring properties.
“Three fire engines and nine fire officers were in attendance. The fire was extinguished within five minutes.”
Carlin also admitted torching DB Auto Services in the city’s Milton Street days later. The offences were aggravated by the ongoing gang turf war across Scotland.
He was arrested by police as part of operation Portaledge, which was set up to crack down on the serious organised crime which has gripped Glasgow, Edinburgh and the west. Carlin’s DNA was recovered from the windowsill of the salon.
Images shared by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) show the charred remains of the beauty parlour. The windows of the premises were pictured blown in following the blaze earlier this year.
Inside, walls were pictured melted away. Sentencing was deferred until a hearing which will be held early next year.
Prosecutor Leanne McQuillan said: “This is a beauty salon part owned by the partner of a prominent member of an organised crime group. That individual is currently in custody serving a sentence.”
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