Police have paid tribute to the family of a murdered man after a court convicted his killer.

Mark Squires, 44, was found seriously injured near a pub on Edinburgh's Longstone Road in October 2017.

He was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he died several hours later.

Detectives later established Mr Squires had been assaulted by 24-year-old Nico Allan.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, jurors heard Allan had repeatedly punched, kicked, and stamped on his victims head and hit him with a vodka bottle, causing fatal injuries.

Co-accused Aiden Welsh, 25, was acquitted of the murder after the jury returned a not proven verdict.

A third man, Liam Tierney, 21, had also originally faced a murder charge but was acquitted earlier during the trial.

Judge Lord Tyre told Allan: "By the verdict of the jury you have been convicted of the murder of Mark Squires. The sentence for murder is a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment."

The judge called for a background report to be prepared on Allan, a prisoner in Addiewell jail, ahead of sentencing in September.

Detective chief inspector Dave Pinkney of Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mark at this difficult time.

"They have shown great courage throughout the investigation and the trial, and they have had to listen to what their loved one went through that night.

"Mark was walking home with a friend after attending a charity night and we are aware that on the route home there was a verbal altercation involving a group of men, including Allan, and that this then moved into a physical altercation.

"While not involved in the physical altercation, Mark was in fact attempting to calm the situation down peacefully. It was at this point that Mark was assaulted and murdered by Allan in what was a senseless and unprovoked attack.

"The brutal actions have resulted in the untimely death of Mark and the level of violence inflicted upon him was appalling."