From a mistaken-identity murder to a so‑called “Tinder swindler” who preyed on women he met online, here are four cases called at Glasgow High Court last week.
On January 12, a Barrhead man Thomas Craig, 48, was jailed for 12 years for a “horror” bottle attack on a train in which he tried to kill a stranger.
He repeatedly stabbed 23-year-old Glenn Lennon with a smashed Buckfast bottle on a Glasgow Queen Street to Perth service in February 2024, having first attacked Mr Lennon’s friend, Aaron Nelson, during a drink and cocaine-fuelled outburst.
Passengers, including a nurse, rushed to help as both victims were left scarred for life, and a judge later branded it a “violently appalling attack” and ordered that Craig be supervised for a further three years on his release.
READ NEXT:
-
Glasgow Tinder swindler abused nearly 20 women while pretending to have cancer
-
Pensioner to stand trial accused of murdering his wife in Glasgow
The following day, January 13, two men were given life sentences for the murder of Greenock dad Michael Beaton, 35, in what the court heard was a “grotesque” case of mistaken identity.
Mr Beaton was run down on Drumfrochar Road in November 2023 by his friend, 21-year-old Richard Mullan, who was driving a stolen Audi Q2, before 27-year-old co-accused Alexander McQuillan repeatedly struck him with a machete as he lay gravely injured in the road.
McQuillan must serve at least 18 years and Mullan at least 16 years, after the judge condemned the killing as a “deliberate and brutal act of extreme violence”.
On January 16, a trial date of February 2027 was set for Glasgow pensioner Ian McGowan, 79, who denies murdering his wife Margaret, 71, at their home in Nitshill in May 2025.
He is accused of a series of assaults stretching back to 1977, and a plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide was rejected.
READ NEXT:
-
Thug back behind bars after brutal assault of two men in Glasgow flat
-
Thug left Celtic fan with bleed near brain after booting him in head after match
-
Two killers jailed after man 'mistakenly mowed down then hacked with a machete'
-
Trial over doorstep assassination of Greenock dad cost taxpayers £1m
The same day, Glasgow man Ryan McVeigh appeared for sentencing after admitting 38 charges involving 17 women, having been branded a “Tinder swindler” for abusing nearly 20 women he met on dating apps and social media.
In his early 30s, he used multiple aliases, pretended he was dying from cancer and subjected victims to rape, coercive control and financial scams, leaving some tens of thousands of pounds in debt.
The court ordered a psychiatric assessment and will consider a possible lifelong restriction order when he returns in March.
Share