Police bug two gangland assassins saying they would get away with murder

May 4 2008 By Russell Findlay And Billy Paterson

Exclusive Special Report Crime Inc. Police Bug Caught Two Gangland Assassins Saying They Would Get Away With Murder

ARROGANT hitmen Raymond Anderson and James McDonald were caught by a police bug in their car boasting that they had got away with murder.

A month after killing Michael Lyons, 21, and shooting Stephen Lyons, 27, and Robert Pickett, 42, twisted Anderson was secretly recorded talking about a crime turf war.

Anderson and McDonald were members of the Daniel clan, who are rivals of the Lyons.

He said to McDonald: "No **** gets away with them nowadays. You know that, don't you - except us."

He later tried to tell police that he was talking about steroids. But in another taped conversation McDonald said: "Aye, they will have us down as ****ing dangerous ******s - know what I mean?"

Anderson replied: "Aye, they will be thingamyed and all to shoot us."

McDonald: "Oh I know they will."

Anderson: "They make a move, just shoot them."

For the first time the Sunday Mail can reveal the gang's calculated campaign to get away with murder at the MoT station owned by David Lyons, uncle of Michael and Stephen.

Witness intimidation, alleged bribes, torching police evidence, jury nobbling claims and faking evidence were linked to the case that resulted in Lord Hardie jailing the pair for 35 years each at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.

Secretive millionaire Jamie Daniel, 50, heads the feared crime clan which has links to drug gangs across Europe.

The scrapyard boss's right-hand man is John McCabe. Another senior figure is Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll, partner of Jamie's daughter, while McDonald and Anderson were full-time associates.

The gang have been accused of: lForcing key witnesses to abandon their friends and families to receive lifelong witness protection. The authorities will not say how many people did this.

Attempting to torch the Mazda getaway car as it was stored in a yard in Queenslie, Glasgow, to destroy DNA evidence. The police insisted that no evidence was lost as a result of the brazen attack.

Offering a bribe to Paisley gangster Pickett to tell the first trial that the "wrong men" were in the dock. In court, he denied being "offered large sums of money".

Bragging about links to jurors, which was blamed for the trial collapsing twice before a third jury was sworn in. The judge imposed a reporting ban when the second jury was removed - and has still to reveal why.

Penning a letter to garage owner David Lyons about a fabricated £25,000 drugs debt to suggest someone else was involved in the hit and throw police off the scent.

The police bug placed in Anderson's car showed how sure the hitmen were they would cheat justice.

They even cracked a sick joke about the triple shooting, asking: "What's the difference between Glasgow and Africa?

You can shoot Lyons in Glasgow."

When challenged by police, Anderson claimed: "That was just bravado talk."

Asked if he was one of the gunmen seen fleeing from the scene, he said: "I'm 46. I have bronchitis, scars on my lungs and smoke 45 a day."

Anderson failed to fool the jury and will be 81 years old when he is freed - unless he dies in prison. McDonald will be 69.

The sentences are a huge boost to top brass at Strathclyde Police, who had been under major pressure over the drug feud.

Prior to the triple shooting in Lambhill, Glasgow, the Sunday Mail had chronicled at least 14 other shootings linked to the feud.

It was not until after the murder that Glas- gow City Council pulled the plug on a community centre run by Eddie Lyons Sr.

The family head befriended police and politicians as he ran Chirnsyde Community Initiative - receiving at least £1.4million of taxpayers' cash.

Councillor Billy McAllister, who received death threats after vowing to drive Lyons out of Chirnsyde, said: "For too long, people like the Daniel and Lyons families have used witness intimidation and other corrupt acts to get away with crimes including murder.

"To the public, the perception is that there's a two-tier justice system - one for millionaire criminals and one for the rest."

Police hope the record sentences will put an end to the Lyons and Daniel war.

But one Daniel family source asked: "How can they get 35 years yet the Lockerbie bomber is doing less time. There will be a backlash - it's not over yet."

No **** gets away with them now a days. You know that, don't you - except us. + + Aye, they will have us down as ****ing dangerous ******s - know what I mean?" + + They make a move just shoot em

4 Another call is made by Anderson from busy Maryhill Road

3 Third call is two minutes later and further from scene

5 Anderson has doubled back to same street as call No.3

1 Anderson calls McDonald eight minutes after garage shooting

2 He phones him less than a minute later, half a mile away

G MoT station in Lambhill where shooting took place at 2.12pm

SUNDAY EMAIL

r.findlay@sundaymail.co.uk