Four men face Scots trial over alleged UDA murder plot

Four men have gone on trial in Scotland charged with attempting to murder two former leaders of the Loyalist terror group, the Ulster Defence Association.

Anton Duffy, 39, Martin Hughes, 36, Paul Sands, 31, and John Gorman, 58, deny having planned to kill Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair and Sam McCrory.

Giving evidence, Mr McCrory said he and Mr Adair would have been "huge scalps for dissident Republican groups".

The trial at the High Court in Glasgow, before Lady Scott, continues.

Ban lifted

Mr Adair and his best friend Mr McCrory - both former members of prohibited Loyalist terror organisations the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and its paramilitary wing the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) - gave evidence in the trial on Monday.

But their evidence can only be reported now following the lifting of a ban on reporting restrictions.

The jury of 10 women and five men heard that both men were jailed for terrorist activities and sentenced to 16 years.

They were involved in the Good Friday agreement in 1998 which brought peace to Northern Ireland and both have been living in Ayrshire for a number of years.

Mr Adair, 51, said that in October 2013 he returned from holiday to be told by police that his life was in danger from dissident Republicans and to step up his security.

Paul Kearney, prosecuting, said: "Police spoke to you and said they considered you under threat of harm," and Mr Adair replied: "Yes."

Mr Kearney then said: "You were also made aware people had been arrested in relation to a plot in relation to you," and he replied: "That's correct."

Mr Adair was then asked if he considered himself to be under threat and said: "All that was supposed to be over, but from their point of view I would see myself as a target as a leader of Loyalism."

'Man of peace'

When asked who he thought would target him, he replied: "All dissident Republicans."

Mr Adair told the court he was now a man of peace and added that Republican dissidents whom he described as fools and criminals were shooting soldiers on the streets of Northern Ireland.

Mr Kearney said: "Do you consider yourself as irrelevant to Northern Ireland politics now," and Mr Adair replied: "Yes, but I still get visited by police telling me my life is in danger from dissident Republicans and told to step up my security."

He was asked if he would be in danger if he returned to Northern Ireland and said: "Well, according to the police."

The court heard that Mr Adair was brigadier of C company UFF in Shankhill Road, Belfast, during the Troubles.

When asked if his group was responsible for the murder of up to 40 Catholics, he said: "It has been reported as that."

Mr Adair was asked if he knew any of the men accused of conspiring to murder him and said he did not.

He denied having any involvement with drug dealing.

Murder missions

The court heard Mr McCrory, 50, was convicted of conspiracy to murder and possession of an AK47 and a sub-machine gun and sentenced to 16 years in 1993 before being released during the Good Friday agreement. He said he was also contacted by police in October 2013 and told his life was in danger.

When questioned by Donald Findlay QC, representing Mr Sands, Mr McCrory said he had only been involved in one military operation in Northern Ireland - a plan to kill two IRA chiefs - but was caught on the way to carry out the killings.

Mr McCrory, who described himself as a political prisoner, said: "I've never killed anyone."

He was then asked by Mr Findlay: "Was Johnny Adair somebody who sent people out to murder," and replied: "No, people volunteered."

He was asked if he thought he and Mr Adair would be targets of dissident Republicans, and replied: "Yes, it would be big scalps for them."

Mr McCrory said he knew Paul Sands to say hello to and had him as a friend on Facebook. He denied having any involvement with drug dealing.

Among the charges, it is also claimed that Mr Duffy and Mr Gorman were part of a plan to murder the governor of Glasgow's Barlinnie jail, Derek McGill, in a car bomb attack.

Three other men - Craig Convery, 37, Gary Convery, 34, and Gordon Brown, 29 - deny charges linked to the alleged terror plans.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between August 2010 and January 2014.