An Iraq war veteran who shot a Bangladeshi waiter dead in a racist murder 14 years ago was jailed for life today.

An Iraq war veteran who shot a Bangladeshi waiter dead in a racist murder 14 years ago was jailed for life today.

Soldier Michael Ross, 30, was just 15 when he burst into a restaurant on Orkney and shot Shamsuddin Mahmood in front of horrified diners.

The Black Watch soldier was told by judge Lord Hardie he must spend a minimum of 25 years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

Judge Lord Hardie branded the murder "a pre-meditated assassination."

He told Ross: "This was a vicious, evil, unprovoked murder of a defenceless man. The attack was a pre meditated assassination which involved the use of a firearm.

"It involved shooting him the head at close range. It occurred in a public restaurant in front of members of the public, including children, who was traumatised by your actions.

"It was motivated by your extreme racist prejudice and after the murder you attempted to pervert the course of justice by destroying evidence.

"Despite the fact that you are a first offender and were 15 on the date of the murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood, taking account of these aggravating factors, I consider that the appropitate punishment period that you should serve before being eligible for patrol is 25 years. I sentence you to life imprisonment."

The judge added that Ross had gone onto have a career in the army and have a family, but said he had "deprived" his victim of the opportunity to have a family of further his career.

It was the first murder in the Orkney Islands for 25 years and shocked residents of the close-knit community.

Police made a breakthrough in 2006, when a man named William Grant told them he had seen Ross on the night of the killing brandishing a pistol. Grant said had kept quiet until the guilt became too much to bear. Ross was arrested in 2007.

Ross will be discharged from the armed forces, although his dismissal will be delayed if he launches an appeal against his conviction.

Lord Hardie went on: "Your actions in murdering him were an act of cowardice and, despite what was said about your army career, it is clear from your actions after convictions, that you are still a coward."

Ross, who showed no emotion as he was taken to the cells, continues to protest his innocence.