MAN , 25 , CLEARED OF HIT-AND-RUN SHOTGUN ATTACK
Court told victim is paralysed for life
A MAN was yesterday cleared of a car and gun attack that left a victim paralysed.
William Barclay was accused of attempting to murder Mark Bristow, while acting with others.
A jury returned a not proven verdict against him.
Mark, 31, suffered a broken neck when he was hit by a stolen 4x4. As he lay seriously injured in the street, a masked gunman shot his leg at point-blank range.
Barclay, 25, denied being involved in the hit-and-run or the shooting.
The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh also returned not proven verdicts on charges of possessing a shotgun and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by trying to set fire to the stolen car.
After the verdict, a relative posted a picture on Instagram of a jubilant Barclay outside the court. The caption read: “Justice done”.
Mark was attacked in Royston Road, Glasgow, in May 2015.
He was hit by a Mitsubishi Outlander that had been stolen from a house in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, a fortnight earlier.
Witness Derek Nelson, 59, who was cycling home from work as a nurse, said he saw Mark lying on the ground before a masked man got out of the Mitsubishi and shot his leg with what looked like a sawn-off shotgun.
Derek said Mark begged: “Don’t shoot me.”
The court heard Mark’s injuries were so bad that he will need lifelong help with his daily needs.
Police found the Mitsubishi abandoned at Langmuirhead Road on the outskirts of Glasgow. DNA from Barclay was found in the vehicle. An unspent match was also found at the scene with his DNA on it.
Barclay, from Springburn, Glasgow, told the court he had previously driven the 4x4 a short distance at the request of his brother, who is a car dealer. He said he was at his gran’s home on the day of the shooting and had no explanation for his DNA being found on the match at the scene.
Barclay was convicted of the reset of the stolen car but was admonished.
He originally stood trial on the attempted murder charge with his uncle Joseph Barclay, 40, of Springburn, and John Gallagher, 49, of Royston.
The two older men were acquitted after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence against them.
The attack on Mark was linked to a long-running feud between the Boyce family, of Royston, and the Morrisons, of Blackhill.
Mark, of Sandyhills, is thought to be close to the Boyces.
During the investigation into his attempted murder, a black Volkswagen Golf had its tyres shot by police marksmen after a car chase in Robroyston last September. One of five people in the car was detained by police for questioning.