Prison chiefs in mob war fear
Key men are split up to disrupt criminal activities then kept in solitary in a bid to keep them safe from reach of enemies
Prison authorities are struggling to keep rival members of the Lyons and Daniel crime clans apart after a plan to keep one faction in the same jail failed.
Inmates linked to the Daniel group are now being held in isolation after being shipped out of the top security facility earmarked for its convicted members.
Thugs with ties to the Glasgow-based gang had been locked up at Edinburgh’s HMP Saughton in an effort by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to keep them separate from Lyons henchmen.
Officials hoped the move would prevent their tit- for- tat violence on Scotland’s streets spreading behind bars.
But prison leaders were forced to scrap their plan over fears key figures in the Daniel gang found it easier to continue committing crime. Mark Richardson and two other gang members were shipped out of Saughton last month to disrupt their activities. Richardson is now being held in solitary – known as “the digger” – at HMP Glenochil over concerns he was wielding too much power in the halls at the jail in the capital. He has been held separately in the Clackmannanshire prison for his own protection following a threat.
The convicted cocaine dealer is serving almost nine years for possession of a firearm.
Two other members of the clan, who were jailed for murder and gun offences but can’t be named for legal reasons, were also moved out of the jail after a man had his ear cut off in an incident last month.
One of the men, already a jail attack victim, has refused to be integrated into HMP Kilmarnock’s mainstream population over fears he will be a target in a jail that has held Lyons gang members for several years.
The other is being kept in segregation at HMP Perth after he allegedly used a sharp weapon to cut open the neck of Paul Lyons, jailed over a road-rage killing, in the prison visiting area.
No one has been charged over the incident, which happened last month, but police said they are following a positive line of enquiry.
Sources said the suspect was furious at being transferred to the jail because Paul Lyons was settled there and had built up allies.
It has been claimed the alleged attack was part of a plan to be reunited with Richardson. An internal investigation has been launched after it emerged the men were supposed to be kept apart by wardens.
Drug dealer Zander Sutherland, son of dead gang boss Jamie Daniel, was also moved out of Saughton. He is being held in HMP Dumfries, which specialises in managing sex offenders, because there was less chance of him being attacked, a source said.
Jamie McDonald and Raymond Anderson,
They fear the Daniels have been able to get too much influence inside
who are serving life sentences for murdering Michael Lyons in 2006, are also being held in protection.
Steven Lyons, now based in Dubai, suffered a leg injury during the ambush, which was ordered by the Daniel family.
McDonald is in HMP Grampian, while Anderson has been segregated at Shotts Prison.
An insider said: “The SPS was worried the gangs would just transfer the violence from the streets to the jails so it decided to scatter the Lyons associates around Scotland and keep those linked to the Daniels in Saughton.
“But it hasn’t worked out the way they hoped because they now fear that the Daniels have been able to get too much influence inside the jail and continue to break the law.
“Now the prison wants to transfer them out but it’s impossible to find a jail that doesn’t have prisoners associated with the Lyons.
“That’s resulted in the guys spending their time in ‘the digger’ until another solution is found.
“The incident involving Paul Lyons showed the difficulties the prison officers face.” The insider added: “You’ll find rivals in the same prison but not in the same hall or wing.
“The prison will know who these individuals are and the need to ensure they are never in close proximity. They also work closely with the police.
“Prisoners are always asked when they arrive in prison if they have any enemies.”
Six men were jailed for a total of 104 years after they attempted to murder Steven “Bonzo” Daniel and four other men.
Five have been given permission to appeal their convictions. They are being held in separate jails around Scotland.
Daniel was ambushed in his car and left with horrific facial injuries when he was attacked with machetes in Glasgow in 2017.
The other victims, who were all linked to him, also suffered knife attacks over an 18-month period.
The Lyons and Daniel gangs have waged a turf war for control of Scotland’s drug trade for 20 years. The feud has resulted in a series of stabbings and shootings as the violence escalated.
Daniel enforcer Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll was shot dead in an Asda car park in Glasgow’s Robroyston. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the notorious gangland hit.
William Paterson is serving at least 22 years for the murder, having been convicted at the High Court in Glasgow in 2015.
Ross Sherlock, a close associate of Carroll, has survived attempts on his life in 2006, 2015 and 2017.
The SPS said it doesn’t comment on individual prisoners.
A spokeswoman added: “For the good order of the prison estate, s ome prisoners are moved around from time to time.”