A hitman jailed for the murder of Trainspotting 2 actor Bradley Welsh has been caught with a contraband phone device at Perth Prison for the fifth time.
Guards found lifer Sean Orman asleep in his cell, clutching an illicit Nokia mobile in his hand.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the 33-year-old had been “struggling” with the minimum 28-year sentence handed down for shooting Mr Welsh outside his home in Edinburgh in 2019.
He had another four months added to his jail time.
At a previous hearing, Orman challenged a sheriff on why he was being prosecuted for breaking strict prison phone rules.
“This has been a waste of everyone’s time,” he said.
Asleep in his cell
Orman returned to the dock on Wednesday and admitted having an illegal phone and SIM card in his cell on May 31 this year.
Fiscal depute Duncan McKenzie said jail staff carried out a routine search of his cell just after 7pm.
Orman was found fast dozing in a chair, holding a black Nokia phone.
“The device was found to contain the illicit SIM card,” the prosecutor said.
Solicitor Edward Wilson, defending, said: “Mr Orman had been struggling to settle down into his sentence.
“It was a difficult time for him and he was using these devices to keep in contact with his family.
“That is the only excuse he can offer.”
Mr Wilson said: “He is now making better use of his time.”
The court heard Orman had not been given a release date.
“I would ask the court to deal with this matter as leniently as possible,” Mr Wilson said.
Sheriff Garry Sutherland told Orman: “In view of the circumstances and your previous convictions, I must impose a custodial sentence.”
‘Minor matters’
Orman, who was jailed for life in May 2021, was handed a consecutive four-month sentence.
Last time, he got eight months after being caught with two SIM cards in August 2023.
At an earlier court appearance, Orman questioned Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon about his conviction.
“Because this kind of thing keeps happening to me and other people, is there a public interest in wasting so much time and money on minor matters like this?” he asked.
Orman had been paid £10,000 to carry out the shooting of former boxing champ Welsh on the orders of a gangland figure.
He was reportedly the victim of a blade attack inside the jail in the summer of 2023.
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