Gunman jailed for cold-blooded murder
Judge slams thug over‘targeted attack’
A man convicted of the murder of Polish national Rafal Lyko in Blantyre has been sentenced to a minimum of 22 years behind bars.
Darren Owen, 23, discovered his fate at the High Court in Glasgow last week from Judge Lord Clark.
Rafal, 36, was shot in the head in Greenhall Park in Blantyre, and then found within a Mercedes that had been set on fire on February 11, 2019.
As reported by the Advertiser, cops launched a manhunt after Rafal’s body was discovered.
During their investigation, officers discovered that Rafal had arrived at Edinburgh Airport just two days earlier from his home in Poland.
From there, Rafal travelled to the Tayside area to visit relatives, but not much was known of his whereabouts after that.
Co-accused Thomas Wilson, 26, was found not guilty of murdering Rafal.
Owen was also later involved in – and convicted of – the murder bid of a male drug dealer who was shot outside a vets in Rutherglen on December 3, 2018.
Brian Mcconnachie KC, defending Owen, said: “He was far from being the organising mind for these matters.”
When passing sentence, Judge Lord Clark told Owen: “These crimes were pre-planned and you were found guilty of playing a part in each of them.
“These are extremely grave offences arising from drug debts owed by the victims.
“By the verdict of the jury, you have been convicted of very serious offences.”
Following Owen’s conviction, after a trial which ran for 12 weeks, Detective Superintendent Andrew Patrick said: “These serious incidents were challenging enquiries to work on and our officers were meticulous in going through every detail in what was an incredibly protracted investigation.
“By using all means available to us, and by the enquiry teams working to piece together the wider picture, we were able to find a pattern of behaviour which ultimately culminated in the convictions.
“The violence involved in this case, which resulted in the death of a man, is absolutely senseless.
“Although this was a targeted attack, the individual showed no regard for the community and family affected.
“Throughout this investigation we have worked closely with the Crown Office on what was a very unique set of circumstances.
“I believe these convictions show those intent on committing crime that no matter how much preparation you make, how many steps you take to frustrate an investigation, or how long it has been since the crime has been committed, that we will not give up.”