Cops ‘ still hunting’ crime boss slayer
DETECTIVES have today made a fresh appeal for information on the brutal supermarket execution of gangland enforcer Kevin Carroll.
Carroll, 29, was shot dead by two gunmen as he sat in his top of the range Audi car in the car park of Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow 11 years ago.
The brazen lunchtime attack happened in front of shoppers.
Since then two men have stood trial for the murder of the notorious underworld figure, who was nicknamed Gerbil.
In May 2012, Ross Monagahan, 30, from Penilee, walked free from the High Court in Glasgow when the judge ruled there was no case to answer due to a lack of evidence.
Three years later at the same court, William Paterson, 35, from Cumbernauld, was found guilty and sentenced to life with the recommendation that he serve 22 years before being considered for parole.
Paterson is the only person to be convicted of the Gerbil murder despite eye witnesses describing two gunmen.
A third person is thought to have been their getaway driver.
Today, Police Scotland revealed that the murder, which took place on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, is still being investigated.
A spokeswoman added: “Homicides are kept under review and are subject of inquiries from time to time.
“Any new information about the death of Kevin Carroll will be thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland. If anyone has any new information, please contact us on 101 or
Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Carroll’s murder, which happened shortly after 1.20pm, took no more than 25 seconds.
Carroll, a father of three, was said to be the leader of a drug gang that kidnapped dealers from rival crews, then subjected them to sickening violence including torture to obtain cash, drugs and weapons.
The attacks were nicknamed “alien abductions” because the terrified victims told police they had no recollection of what had happened.
Carroll reportedly got the Gerbil nickname from the Kevin character on the popular 1980s children’s TV show Roland Rat.
He was brought up in Milton and had been the target of previous murder bids.
In 2006, he was shot in the stomach in a drive- by shooting in Bishopbriggs.
Both murder trials heard evidence from detectives saying many in the criminal underworld wanted “Gerbil” dead.
The late Derek Ogg QC, who was defending Monaghan, even read out a list of 99 people who police thought may have been responsible for the murder – though Monaghan wasn’t one of them.
Paterson went on the run to Spain after the murder and at one stage was one of Britain’s most wanted men.
Four years after the shooting and two years after Monaghan’s acquittal he agreed to return to Scotland to stand trial.
By the time of his death he was, according to police intelligence files, among the worst top 15 criminals in Scotland.