The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Supermarket killing accused walks free
A man accused of gunning downaganglandfigure ina supermarket car park walked free from court yesterday after the case against him collapsed.
Ross Monaghan was on trial accused of murdering Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll outside Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow, on January 13, 2010. At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Brailsford formally acquitted Mr Monaghan, 30, ruling there was no case to answer due to insufficient evidence.
Monaghan smiled as he left court and said it was the end of a “two- year nightmare”. He said: “I’ve always said this was nothing to do with me. Now I can put it behind me.”
Lord Brailsford gave his decision on Thursday following legal submissions from Mr Monaghan’s defence QC, Derek Ogg.
The Crown was given time to decide whether to appeal, but advocate depute Iain Mcsporran said yesterday that, following careful consideration at the “highest level”, there would be no appeal.
Two masked men drew up to the Audi car Mr Carroll was in and shot him dead while he was trapped in the back seat, then sped away. He was shot in the head, chest, arm, hand, groin, back and abdomen.
A bullet was found in the car’s manual, suggesting thatmr Carroll had tried to use it to shield himself.
Mr Carroll had been at Asda that day with two other men – his driver, John Bonner, and associate, Stephen Mclaggan.
The court heardmr Carroll was trying to “move in” on other drug dealers and, minutes before being shot dead, had met Steven Glen, an “independent”, and told him he would be working for him from then on.
Mr Mclaggan and Mr Bonner fled the Audi when they sawavolkswagengolf pull up. It also emerged that Mr Carroll had been locked in the car.
Carroll associate Francis Green admitted eating his ownsim card to stop police accessing information and taking Mr Carroll’s phone from his body after beating police to the scene.
The murder weapons – two pistols – were found 13 days later in Coatbridge. DNA matching Mr Monaghan’s was found on the pistol but experts were unable to say how it got there because there was so little.