Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Man accused of murder released from custody Out on bail after criminal trials were suspended
SALLY HIND
A man due to stand trial accused of murdering dad- of-two Gary More outside his Airdrie home has been released from custody amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Neil Anderson, 44, had been on remand in connection with the death of gym boss Gary, 32, who was gunned down in September 2018.
Prosecutors claim Anderson was acting with others when Gary was induced from his home before he was shot in the head and body.
Anderson is also accused of being concerned in the supply of unnamed drugs as well as behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards Gary. He denies the charges. A trial had been due to get under way this month, but with all criminal trials now suspended due to the coronavirus, the Crown Office has confirmed it has been adjourned.
A preliminary hearing was set for July to decide when it might go ahead.
A Scottish Courts Service spokesman confirmed Anderson was released on bail at the High Court in Glasgow recently.
It’s understood he was released on a curfew.
MSPs passed emergency legislation this month that put in place provisions to allow inmates to be released should the prison estate become overwhelmed.
But Ann Marie Cocozza, cofounder of Lanarkshire charity Families Affected by Murder and Suicide, said some victims’ loved ones were only informed after people accused of murder were released.
She said: “While I understand fully the legal implications of holding an accused person beyond a certain time frame, we need to ensure communication with victims and their families is adequate.”