Ronald "Ronnie" McGrath was a heroine addict who lived in Pilmuir estate. Originally from Stirling, Ronnie lived with his parents and his younger brother Neil. From a young age he was interested in photography and wanted to become a professional photographer. However during his school days he started using drugs, and was expelled for 3 months before his exams. He was allowed back into the school for the exams, which he passed, but then ran away from home. He moved to Edinburgh, and began living in squats and scoring heroine from several dealers. In order to fund his habit, he worked as a prostitute in Calton Hill. Through James Carew he was introduced to Hyde's club, an underground boxing club run by Malcolm Lanyon and Finlay Andrews. During this time he lived in a building in Pilmuir with several other drifters who came and went. It was here he met Tracy when she moved into the squat, and he began a relationship with her. He got back in touch with his brother Neil by writing to him, telling him he had a job and a girlfriend. Then one night his brother found him after Hyde's club, high and covered in bruises, and took him back to his squat. He kept in touch with his brother, and one night decided to take a camera to Hyde's club and photograph the spectators. He had two sets of photos developed - one he hid in a volume of the Edinburgh Review, and the other he hid in his bath. However rumour of the incriminating photographs spread via the rent boys of Calton Hill, and Finlay Andrews caught wind of the situation. He managed to cut off Ronnie's heroine supply, before giving him a packet heavily cut with rat poison. Ronnie knew that Andrews was after him, but used the contaminated heroine anyway and died. On Andrews' instructions, Tony McCall then moved his body out of his bedroom downstairs, and planted a packet of clean heroine on his body to avoid the suspicion of murder.
Advertisement