HEAVY-DUTY WEAPON FOUND IN MOTOR
Steven Wilkinson, 43, was stopped in the street by officers after intelligence led them to his car. He was handcuffed after becoming agitated and constables asked if there was anything sharp or that could hurt them in the vehicle. They were left stunned when Wilkinson confessed: “Aye, there’s a gun in the front passenger seat.” Officers recovered a Czech-made Skorpion submachine pistol, ammunition and a silencer when they stopped Wilkinson i n Spr ingbur n , Glasgow, in August. When he appeared at the city’s High Court last week, Judge Lady Rae looked at the gun and commented: “That’s some weapon.” Police investigating a tit-for-tat war between the Lyons crime syndicate and the Daniel clan believe the gun was linked to their feud, which has seen a string of violent incidents this year including shootings, stabbings and slashings. Detectives think the gun was supposed to be used by a Daniel henchman in an attempt to kill a senior member of the Lyons family. The court heard police went to East Kilbride to trace a man wanted on a warrant and believed to be in a house in the area. They were given information that a grey or silver Seat Leon had driven off from the house. The vehicle was traced to an address in Springburn through insurance details. When police arrived, the car was parked outside and Wilkinson got out of the driver’s side. The car was searched and three bags with a gun, a magazine and silencer were found in a footwell. Lady Rae deferred sentence and Wilkinson was remanded in custody. She said: “You can expect a significant period in custody. You knew what you were carrying.” A Mercedes AMG Coupe and an Audi Q3 – stolen from the Edinburgh area – were a l so recovere d in Glasgow’s west end dur ing the pol ice operation.
Sunday Mail