Judge gives gang 56 years in jail

Robert O'Hara will serve at least 20 years in prison

Four members of a drugs gang which "terrorised" part of Glasgow have been told that they will spend at least 56 years behind bars.

A judge told gang leader Robert O'Hara, known as The Birdman, that most people would feel "revulsion" at his actions.

O'Hara, 27, along with Robert Murray, 25, and Colin McKay, 25, were found guilty of murdering Paul McDowall.

Accomplice Brian Kelly, 30, was convicted of conspiracy to murder. The gang operated in north Glasgow.

Lord Dawson said they had been involved in "an evil criminal conspiracy to murder a young man".

Power struggle

Mr McDowall, 25, was said to be the brother-in-law of a rival drug dealer.

He was thought to be a pawn in a power struggle between O'Hara and the other gang.

Mr McDowall was attacked in broad daylight outside The Saracen pub in the Possilpark area of the city in July last year.

You literally terrorised a whole area of the city of Glasgow and reaped substantial rewards Lord Dawson

He died under a rain of blows from batons and knives wielded by O'Hara, McKay and Murray.

The court was told that a MAC M11 sub-machine gun, a sawn-off shotgun, a revolver and a cache of ammunition which included Magnum handgun rounds and dum-dum bullets were found during police raids on flats in Niven Street, Glasgow.

Tight security

They also found heroin at the property and at a "safe house" in Millcroft Road, Cumbernauld.

There was tight security during the six-week trial in Dunfermline and extra police were on duty when the men appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentence.

They had been convicted of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, drug and firearm offences.

Robert Murray was O'Hara's right-hand man

O'Hara, Murray and McKay were jailed for life and told that they would have to serve at least 20, 12 and 14 years respectively before being considered for parole. Kelly was jailed for 10 years.

Lord Dawson told O'Hara that he was a despicable criminal.

"There is little I can say to reflect the revulsion every decent citizen must feel about you," he said.

"You literally terrorised a whole area of the city of Glasgow and reaped substantial rewards."

The trial heard how he went from a house in Possilpark to a penthouse flat with a £345,000 price tag.

Lord Dawson said Murray was the gang leader's right-hand-man, who was "at his shoulder to do his bidding".

Brian Kelly was jailed for 10 years

He told McKay: "Clearly you are one of O'Hara's lackeys. Whatever he wants you to do you will do.

"You kept his drugs for him. You kept his guns for him. When he asked you to, you also killed for him, as casually as if he asked you to get him a pint of milk.

"You are no better than a hired assassin."

The judge told Kelly he had been prepared to get himself involved with a number of illegal firearms and, if the opportunity arose, to shoot someone with them.

Murray was also found guilty of attempting to murder another man, James Elder, who was battered and slashed in an attack in Glasgow last June.