Violent crook has a long list of enemies
BY MARK McGIVERN AND JANE HAMILTON A VIOLENT thug gunned down at his home was described yesterday as a “one-man crime wave” with many enemies.
Darren McCafferty’s criminal record stretches back years and he has a long history of drug and alcohol abuse.
The 30-year-old was shot at his home in Balloch on the banks of Loch Lomond on Thursday. He suffered serious injuries that are not life-threatening.
A local resident said: “McCafferty is notorious in Balloch. He’s a fixture at the local police stations and courts.
“He is more known for low-level crime, so the use of guns is a worrying escalation.”
Another source said: “This guy’s more or less a one-man crime wave. He’s well known but not very popular.”
McCafferty was approached by two men in Lynn Walk shortly before 7pm on Thursday, and shot by one of them. He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he remained yesterday.
Police carried out door-to-door inquiries around the Dalvait area of Balloch. They removed a coat from a bin for DNA testing and searched an area on the banks of the River Leven.
A resident near the scene of the shooting said: “It’s so scary to think someone has been shot practically on your doorstep.”
Another neighbour said: “You see people jumping in and out of the back garden of that house all the time. There is always some kind of bother there.”
McCafferty was jailed for 16 months in 2013 for spitting in a police officer’s face after he was arrested for shoplifting in Balloch.
His victim, who was also punched and kicked, had to be tested for infectious diseases. The thug’s excuse was that he had taken so much Valium he needed to be sick in the police station.
In 2011, McCafferty was caught on CCTV stealing a car after breaking into a home and taking the keys. He told the court he was an alcoholic and was given 200 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving and fined.
Detective Inspector Steve Martin, leading the hunt for the gunmen, said he believed the injured man was the intended target. He appealed to anyone with information to come forward, saying: “While you may not think what you witnessed is significant, let the police know and we will be the judge.”