Men jailed for Johnny Adair and Sam McCrory murder plot

Duffy, Hughes and Sands were convicted of conspiracy to murder

Three men have been jailed for planning to murder two former leaders of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

Antoin Duffy, 39, his cousin Martin Hughes, 36, and Paul Sands, 32, had denied plotting to kill Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair and Sam McCrory in Scotland.

They were convicted in July following a nine-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow, where Duffy and Hughes were also convicted of terrorism charges.

Duffy was jailed for 17 years, Hughes for 11 years and Sands for 10 years.

Two other men, Craig Convery and Gordon Brown, were found guilty of organised crime charges.

'Considerable planning'

Convery was jailed for nine years and Brown for six years.

Jailing the men, judge Lady Scott said the murder plot had involved "considerable planning" by all three and that they had been "excited participants" in the offences.

The court heard that Mr Adair and his best friend Mr McCrory were both former members of prohibited Loyalist terror organisations the UDA and the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).

They were involved in the Good Friday agreement in 1998, and both have been living in Ayrshire for a number of years.

Duffy, originally from Donegal, who had been living in Scotland, was the driving force behind the murder plot.

Described as passionate about a united Ireland, he believed the peace agreement had sold out the Republican movement.

Johnny Adair and Sam McCrory were the targets of the murder plot

Duffy initially planned operations from his cell in Castle Huntly open prison having been jailed in 2010 for brandishing a loaded handgun in a Glasgow nightclub during a dispute with a bouncer.

Every four weeks, when he received home leave back to his flat in Old Castle Road, Glasgow, Duffy talked to criminal associates in a bid to obtain weapons.

He also enlisted his cousin, Martin Hughes, and recruited fellow prisoner Paul Sands - a Facebook friend of Mr McCrory - who knew about McCrory's daily routine.

What the men did not know, however, was that MI5 had learned of their plans and had authorised the bugging of Duffy's flat and Hughes' car.

'Big fella'

The surveillance began in 12 December 2012 and was later handed over to Police Scotland.

The court heard that Duffy believed Mr Adair and Mr McCrory were responsible for ordering the murders of dozens of innocent Catholics during the Troubles.

Evidence was presented that he wanted to shoot Mr McCrory using a pistol or revolver and then quickly target Mr Adair using an AK 47, which he dubbed "the big fella".

In a bugged conversation he was heard boasting to his girlfriend Stacey McAllister: "I'm trying to get a war started and get as many guns and explosives as I can."

Gordon Brown and Craig Convery were jailed for organised crime charges

A recording was also played from a conversation in Hughes' Mercedes Jeep, which travelled from Glasgow to the Ayrshire home of Mr McCrory on 1 October 2013.

On the tape Sands said: "There are so many places you could hit this guy. It's unbelievable."

There were then discussions about cameras at a nearby school and shops and the best vantage points to get their target.

Duffy went on: "We'll just drive up to him and...blast him. In his ear.

"There 's an AK that could possibly be getting made available for us with armour piercing rounds."

'Huge scalps'

Duffy's cellmate in Castle Huntly, Edward McVeigh, 27, revealed that Duffy hated Adair and talked of shooting him as he walked his dog or trained at the gym.

He said that Duffy was a Republican sympathiser who claimed he was a member of the Real IRA.

The trial also heard that Duffy even approached Celtic player Anthony Stokes in the Brazen Head pub in Glasgow on 1 September, asking him to get his father to pass a message on to someone in Ireland to obtain weapons.

Regulars reacted furiously to this and Duffy was thrown out of the pub.

Duffy's defence lawyer claimed that he was a drug addicted fantasist with mental health issues.

Hughes' lawyer said he had not agreed to murder anyone while Sands' lawyer branded him "a total idiot".

The jury, however, did not believe the three men's claims and convicted them of conspiracy to murder.

Speaking outside the court after sentencing, Mr Adair said: "The severity of the sentence reflects the seriousness of the charges and I am just delighted that justice has been done today."

He added: "They deserve every minute of it."

Lindsey Miller, procurator fiscal for counter-terrorism, said: "Duffy and his co-accused planned on conducting two public assassinations in the west of Scotland.

"There is no doubt that their plan was viable, and they went to great lengths to gain access to weapons and to attempt to avoid traces of their movements.

"We are pleased that these individuals and the weapons have been taken off our streets."

Det Ch Supt John Cuddihy from Police Scotland's Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit said: "Make no mistake; the intent of those who have been sentenced today was to carry out a murderous terrorist attack on the streets of Scotland.

"There is no doubt Police Scotland officers have saved the lives of two men and prevented significant negative community impact across Scotland and further afield."