'Out of control' gang jailed for murder bids and fire attacks

Left to right: Ryan McGovern, John Murray and Dale Bauld were convicted for their part in the series of attacks in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Six men have been jailed for a series of violent gangland attacks including attempted murders and setting prison officers' cars on fire.

Michael Heeps, John Murray, Lee Ridgway, Dale Bauld, Damien Mullen and Ryan McGovern targeted a number of victims in and around Edinburgh between late 2022 and early 2023.

One attack left a man with his hand "hanging off," while another saw a victim left in intensive care.

At a sentencing hearing in Glasgow, Heeps was given 23 years, Murray was sentenced to 17 years, Ridgway got 22 years, Bauld was ordered to serve 17 years, Mullen was given 14 years and McGovern was jailed for eight years.

They were found guilty of numerous offences including attempted murder, wilful fire-raising and attempting to pervert the course of justice at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

The charges had been said to have had a connection with serious organised crime, but this aggravation was deleted by prosecutors at the end of the evidence.

The judge, Lord Mulholland, however, said the men had been found guilty of "out-of-control gangsterism".

Hand 'almost severed'

The group's first victim was attacked in Bilston, Midlothian in December 2022 when the gang attacked his car and smashed it up with bladed weapons.

He told a 999 call they had tried to "chop him up".

Another man was targeted by a machete-wielding assailant near his home in Edinburgh's Pilton on 5 January, 2023.

The man had attempted to fend off the attacker after he pulled up in a car and began striking him with the weapon.

His hand was almost completely severed in the attack, after which he was rushed to hospital and spent 12 hours in surgery.

The man said he thought he was "dying on the doorstep".

Six cars belonging to staff at HMP Addiewell were set on fire in January 2023

Another man was targeted in a "high speed chase" between Edinburgh and Dalkeith.

He was forced off the road and his car smashed into a wall. The man was left with a "large gaping wound" to his arm after he was struck with machetes.

After several operations, he was left scarred for life and remains physically affected by the incident.

On 7 January, 2023, six cars belonging to staff at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian were set on fire late at night.

Later that month, another of the gang's victims was ambushed by masked attackers in the Ferniehill area of Edinburgh.

His injuries were so severe he ended up in intensive care and a coma.

The men were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow

The court heard all six men had lengthy criminal pasts.

They were caught thanks to CCTV and forensic evidence, as well as a handwritten note branding a potential witness "a grass".

McGovern, 33, fled Scotland via Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute and Dublin.

He went on travel to the Netherlands before going to Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates before being caught and extradited back to Scotland.

He was found guilty along with Heeps, Ridgway and Mullen of being involved in the blazes at Addiewell.

Heeps, 34, was convicted of eight charges including three attempted murders.

Ridgway, 33, was involved in three of the attempted murders and was convicted of a total of eight charges.

Mullen, 26, was found guilty of one count of attempted murder alongside the car fires.

Bauld, 33, was involved in two violent attacks.

Murray, 25, was convicted of five charges, including two attempted murders.

'High price to pay'

Lord Mullholland said the men's sentences were designed to reflect the severity of their crimes.

Sentencing, he told them: "The courts and the public will not put up with this type of out-of-control gangsterism.

"The sentences that I impose are intended to punish and deter you and anyone else who is considering engaging in this behaviour.

"The message to the public for those that may be contemplating or emulating you is 'don't, as there will be a very high price to pay'."

Det Supt Paul Grainger said the level of violence used by the group was "completely unacceptable".

He added: "Although these were all targeted attacks, those involved showed absolutely no regard for the communities affected.

"These incidents could have had much more serious consequences and this behaviour will not be tolerated."