THE ICE CREAM WARS
BBC2, 9pm
This compelling documentary tells the inside story of a vicious gang war.
Ripping through Glasgow’s tough housing estates in the early 80s, it covers an infamous miscarriage of justice and a crime that remains unsolved to this day.
A gangland battle broke out, resulting in the murder of six innocent members of one family, including an 18-month-old baby. And the reason for the war? Ice-cream van routes.
Among the housing schemes of Glasgow, ice-cream vans thrived, making so much money that they quickly attracted the attention of the city’s gangsters.
Competition was fierce and would often escalate into violence, becoming deadly on the morning of April 16, 1984, when a flat fire killed most of the Doyle family.
One of the victims, Andrew Doyle, was a young ice-cream van driver who had received threats and intimidation from gangs who were trying to muscle in on the trade.
What followed was a court trial and a 20-year fight for justice.