Blowtorch killer in Edinburgh was '80s gang leader' who inspired Trainspotting's Begbie

A blowtorch killer behind the notorious murders of two men at an Edinburgh flat is said to have been an '80s gang leader' and the inspiration behind Transpotting's Begbie.

Ian MacLeod, 66, and his son Dean, 42, attacked their victims with machetes, hammers and a Stanley knife at a flat in the Craigmillar area of the city between October 30 and November 1 in 2022. The father and son also went on to cut off their victims' body parts, including their ears, nose and lips.

They also burned the letters 'YLT', 'VT' and 'YT' into their bodies with a blowtorch. The evil relatives were each jailed for a minimum of 34 years on Monday for the murders of Derek Johnston, 37, and Desmond Rowlings, 66, in 2022.

Speaking during sentencing, Judge Lord Arthurson said: "This is, on any view, one of the worst cases of murder to come before the High Court." Our sister title, the Scottish Daily Express, reports that there was no real motive for the sadistic killings given in court.

However, the trial heard how the son – known as 'Denim' – had been controlling the bank accounts of one of their victims. McLeod, who had mental health issues, later described his father as a "sociopath" and a "pure warrior of a man".

On Reddit, some users were puzzled by the letters 'YLT' and another user replied: "Young Leith Team. The father Ian 'Bronco' MacLeod used to run the gang in the 80s and it's extremely likely to be the inspiration for Irvine Welsh's Begbie. Real nasty guy, stabbed [a woman] in the face with a corkscrew in 2009 among other things."

In Scotland, youth gangs are still often referred to as 'young teams' although the once rampant knife crime fuelled by gang rivalry has been drastically reduced in recent years thanks to initiatives such as the Violence Reduction Unit.

Another Reddit user said: "'YLT' is sort of a joke in Edinburgh. I grew up there, knew plenty of guys who'd graffiti the acronym everywhere, but never knew it to be associated with any actual active gang. It was always just neds acting harder than they were and using the acronym of a famous gang from the 80s/90s while doing it."

Welsh, 65, who grew up in Leith and published Trainspotting in 1993, portrays Francis 'Franco' Begbie as a violence-addicted sadist who has nothing but contempt for his heroin-addicted friends. The character was later portrayed on-screen by Robert Carlyle in the Danny Boyle movie.

Begbie, who appears in several Welsh novels and short stories, is described as a leading member of the Young Leith Team, with the author previously saying that he is based on four or five people he knew growing up and as a young man. In 2005, Scottish crime writer Reg McKay wrote in the Record about 'Bronco' MacLeod's fearsome reputation.

He quoted a former gang member called 'Turnbull' who said: "Every gang needed some type of leader. Ian 'Bronco' McLeod of the Leith Team was fearless and gave the more timid guys in the gang some bottle. Believe me, Bronco was one hard case.

"Bronco's reputation for courage and violence was infamous. One time, we took on the Niddrie Terror - in Princes Street Gardens.
The Leith Team were winning and the Niddrie Terror leader, a guy we called Zingo, took to his heels. Unfortunately for him, Bronco caught him and left him a hospital case."

A link to the story was posted on the Scottish football website Pie and Bovril, with the OP writing: "Bronco is currently unavailable as he is in prison awaiting trial alongside his son for a double murder in a Niddrie tower block. Rumours are that the victims had the letters 'YLT' burned into their flesh with a blowtorch."

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