Junior footie gaffer shot & knifed at pub
Victim in serious but stable condition as club call off match
A JUNIOR football manager staggered into his local pub covered in blood after he was shot and stabbed.
Cambuslang Rangers boss Paul McColl burst into the bar shouting: “I’ve been shot” as staff rushed to help
ºhim. Paul, 48, is understood to have been shot in the stomach and head and suffered a stab wound to the neck.
The manager, who formerly worked as a private investigator, was ambushed beside his car on Wednesday night in Borgie Crescent, Cambuslang.
He staggered to the Kirkhill Bar, a few streets away on Cadoc Road.
Paramedics were forced to wait nearby for armed police to arrive before they could treat him, leaving bar staff to stem his bleeding with towels and toilet roll.
Bar landlady Debbie Owens said they were stunned and upset by the attack on Paul, who is a regular drinker at the bar.
She said: “It all happened so quickly for them. They did the best they could. They are upset by what’s happened.
“The most important thing is that he gets well. As long as he’s OK, that’s the main thing.
“The pub is still closed while police are doing their investigation.”
Yesterday, a black Peugeot with smashed windows and riddled with what appeared to be bullet holes was at the scene of the attack.
Police were probing the motive for the “targeted” hit on the manager, whose work as a private investigator landed him in court in 2002 accused of attempted fraud.
He was in a serious but “stable” condition at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital yesterday.
His mum Clare McColl, a longstanding SNP councillor for Cambuslang until last year, was at his bedside, according to neighbours.
Paul and wife Louise’s eight-year marriage ended in divorce in 2013.
One of Paul’s friends, who did not want to be named, said last night: “It’s absolutely unbelievable. He is a brilliant neighbour and well known in the area. I just hope he is OK. He is highly thought of around here.”
Police believe a burned-out car found in Turnlaw Road near East Greenlees Road, around two miles away from the scene of the attack, is connected.
In 2002, Paul was cleared of attempted fraud and making an offensive call in a case involving two feuding businessmen.
Friends Alex Simpson and Duncan McPherson had a bitter fall-out after their Fife engineering firm, Forth Tool & Valve, ran into problems in 1999. Managing director Simpson was fired from his £110,000a-year post by McPherson, who had become group operations director after a buy-out.
A few weeks later, the Bank of Scotland told Simpson a mystery caller had tried to discover his account details.
The caller – who claimed to be Simpson – threatened to perform an indecent act on a call centre employee.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, McPherson and Paul were both cleared of charges relating to the attempts to pry into Simpson’s bank details.
Sheriff Martin Edington ruled the voice on the taped calls could not be identified as Paul’s beyond reasonable doubt.
Paul branded the charges against him “a crock of rubbish”.
Seven years ago, Paul was found to have more than £35,000 of dirty money in his car during a stop and search by police.
The cash was later seized using proceeds of crime laws. Glasgow Sheriff Court heard he told officers who stopped him: “I just deliver it.”
The civil recovery unit successfully argued the cash was either obtained through crime or was going to be put to unlawful use.
Cambuslang Rangers yesterday sent messages of
It all was so quick. The staff did the best they could. They are upset PUB LANDLADY
support to the manager, who has been with the club for three years, and said he had enjoyed a “very successful” stint there. Assistant manager Billy Campbell yesterday said he and fellow assistants John McKewon and Jimmy Kerr will take the reins at Somervell Park until he has recovered from his injuries. He said: “Paul is our friend rather than just the football manager. “From our perspective, John, Jimmy and I will keep things ticking over. “We have taken the decision to cancel training tonight to give the guys a break, and we’ll have a discussion about things moving forward. “Our thoughts are with Paul and his family.” The club have cancelled their match against Kello Rovers tomorrow due to the incident.
A statement said: “The club are saddened to hear the serious injuries sustained by our manager Paul following an incident in Cambuslang. Our thoughts are with Paul and his family at this difficult time.”
Residents living close to the pub where Paul raised the alarm described the chaos in the aftermath.
Alex Thomson, 64, said: “I saw the ambulance arrive before the cops. It was on Croft Road for 10 minutes before the police pulled up with guns.
“Then it was all just flashing blue lights.
“Between here and the other streets, there must have been 10 or 12 cars and about eight officers with guns.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s usually quiet around here.”
Meanwhile, police were continuing to hunt the shooter and reassured the public that they believe the attack to be isolated.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Tennant said: “I would like to reassure the public that we believe this to be a targeted attack on the victim.
“Extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the motive and full circumstances.
“We cannot confirm the exact cause of the victim’s injuries at this time. But we have several reports of loud bangs and one line of inquiry is that a firearm was involved.”
Tennant added that he would like to speak to anyone who was in Borgie Crescent, Cadoc Street or Greenlees Road and saw or heard anything at all suspicious.
He also appealed for motorists’ dashcam footage.