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Six individuals have been convicted for their involvement in a string of suspected gang-related assaults, including setting ablaze the vehicles of prison officers outside a prison facility, located in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The group consists of Michael Heeps, John Murray, Lee Ridgway, Dale Bauld, Damien Mullen, and Ryan McGovern, who targeted multiple victims in the region between late 2022 and early 2023. The attacks resulted in severe injuries, with one victim having his hand nearly severed, while another was left in a coma and intensive care.
Following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, the six men were found guilty of various charges, including attempted murder, wilful fire-raising, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Despite the initial assertions of a connection with serious organized crime, this aggravation was removed by the prosecutors by the end of the trial. Nevertheless, Lord Mulholland, the presiding judge, characterized the men’s actions as “out of control gangsterism” in his remarks.
The sentencing for the convicted individuals is scheduled for the upcoming month. The incidents involved a series of gruesome assaults, starting with an attack in Bilston, Midlothian, where a victim’s car was vandalized with bladed weapons, leading to a distressing 999 call reporting an attempt to “chop him up.” Subsequent attacks involved a machete-wielding assailant inflicting severe injuries on victims, including one man who had to undergo extensive surgery after nearly losing his hand in the assault.
The court proceedings revealed that all six individuals had extensive criminal histories. The investigations were aided by CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and a handwritten note labeling a potential witness as “a grass.” McGovern attempted to evade capture by fleeing to various countries before being arrested and extradited back to Scotland. Despite being acquitted of attempted murder, he was found guilty, along with several others, for their involvement in setting vehicles ablaze at the Addiewell facility. Heeps, Ridgway, Bauld, Mullen, and Murray were also found guilty of various charges, including multiple counts of attempted murder
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