A MAN convicted of the shotgun murder bid of a car dealer for a second time has been jailed for more than seven years.

Don Templeton was involved in the shooting of James McGurk, 45, at Crosslee Poultry Farm in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire on October 31 2017.

The 40 year-old was the getaway driver while convicted murderer John Docherty, 49, fired the weapon.

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Templeton was found guilty of attempted murder following a retrial last month at the High Court in Glasgow.

He had previously been jailed for eight years for the crime, but that conviction was later quashed by appeal judges in 2019.

Templeton was handed the same sentence - but it was cut by eight months due to the time he had spent behind bars before being freed.

Judge Alistair Watson told him: "This was a planned operation and involved the discharge of multiple shots.

"It is a matter of good fortune - and nothing other than that - the injuries were not catastrophic.

"I sentence you on the basis you were the driver and not the shooter."

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Mr McGurk told the 2019 case he had been working on a car that day and did not know who shot him.

He said at the time: "I cannot remember much. It is all a blur to me. I got shot from behind.

“I heard a bang and I was propelled forward.”

CCTV footage shown the injured victim - struck on the right buttock with shotgun pellets - staggering to a nearby farmhouse for help

Asked about Templeton, of Johnstone, Renfrewshire, at the retrial, he stated: "We have always been pals."

Jurors heard the pair made attempts to contact each other 10 times on the day before the murder bid

Prosecutor Kath Harper asked the victim: "What were the frantic calls about?"

Mr McGurk replied: "About a car or something like that."

Miss Harper: "Was there a dispute with Don?"

Mr McGurk replied: "No, we got on alright. I would not say we were at each other's throats. We have only been pals."

Mr McGurk denied being involved in anything that would lead to him being shot.

Templeton and Docherty were caught on CCTV at a filling station just minutes before their distinctive Mercedes estate was again clocked driving into the farm and then speeding away.

Docherty - who murdered a pensioner in 1995 and was out on licence at the time - was jailed for 12 years in 2019 for his role in the attack.