A pair of gangland enforcers who petrol bombed a Tayside couple’s luxury car in a warning over their son’s £100k drug debt have been spared jail.
Henchmen Calvin Gilmour and Lloyd McKay were sent to the Dundee area to deliver a sinister message to the family in October 2022.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard how the pair made a 160-mile round trip from Glasgow to set fire to a privately-plated Mercedes parked outside the couple’s home.
The vandalism, which left the vehicle written-off, was caught on CCTV.
The pair were snared after incriminating internet searches, the court heard.
On their way back to Glasgow, McKay Googled: “How to fix burnt hair”.
Prison alternatives
Both men returned to the dock for sentencing, having previously pled guilty to wilful fireraising.
Solicitor advocate Lewis Kennedy, representing 24-year-old McKay, said a pre-sentencing report had recommended a restriction of liberty order (ROLO) as a direct alternative to custody.
He added his client was also willing to do unpaid work but could only carry out “light duties” due to a spinal injury.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown said if he was unable to do the work, a ROLO could be put in place.
She told McKay: “I take into account your age, that this happened in 2022 and that you have no matters outstanding.
“I am satisfied there is an alternative to custody.”
McKay was ordered to carry out 270 hours unpaid work.
First offender Gilmour, 21, was handed a 225-hour community work order.
The sheriff issued a non-harassment order, indefinitely banning both men from contacting or approaching the target couple, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Threatening phone calls
Prosecutor Sarah Wilkinson earlier told the court: “At the time, (the complainers’ son) had been leading a chaotic lifestyle.
“Leading up to it, (the husband) had been receiving phone calls saying he now owed a drug debt of £100,000 his son had racked up.”
The calls ended on October 5 2022 but at 1am on October 27 the male complainer was in his house, watching TV when he heard a car alarm sounding outside.
He saw the £38,000 Mercedes parked in the driveway was ablaze.
The man phoned the emergency services and tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. He noticed a “significant” smell of petrol.
Home CCTV was reviewed, which showed the attack taking place after items had been thrown over the locked gates.
At about 1pm, the man received a threatening phone call and was told someone would return to inflict further damage.
Google searches
Investigators found a car window had been smashed, with a brick recovered from a footwell.
Inside the car, two plastic bags were recovered, one of which contained petrol.
CCTV showed the pair had driven from Glasgow, stopped at an Esso garage in Perth to refuel and buy four plastic bottles of water, then headed to the couple’s home.
Phone analysis showed McKay – who had been burned in the incident – had Googled “how to fix burnt hair” shortly after the firebombing.
Two other men have been jailed for trying to extort the same couple weeks after the firebombing strike.
Robert Notman and Lewis Goldfarb were both handed prison sentences for terrorising the couple in December 2022.
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