Man tells court he was rammed by car in alleged "gangland" murder bid

A man has told jurors he was attacked in the street during an alleged gangland murder bid.

Robert Daniel claimed he was rammed by a car before being followed in to a house in Glasgow's Robroyston on December 8, 2016.

He said when he ran in to the house he was hit on the back of the head with what he later told police was a hatchet or machete.

The 29-year-old was giving evidence at the trial of six men accused of being part of the "Lyons" criminal gang who allegedly targeted members of the "Daniel" crime clan.

Mr Daniel said in court he had heard of the Lyons, but claimed he knew of no ill-feeling between the two families.

Brian Ferguson (37), Andrew Gallacher (40), Robert Pickett (53), Andrew Sinclair (32), John Hardie (35) and Peter Bain (45) deny the charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

The "Lyons" and "Daniel" gangs are each described in the indictment as a "serious organised crime group".

This allegedly involved a string of murder bids over 15-months – including an attack on Glasgow's M8 motorway.

It is alleged they targeted Robert Daniel, Thomas Bilsland, Gary Petty, Ryan Fitzsimmons and Steven Daniel.

The charge spans between June 2016 and September 2017 listing locations in Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Manchester.

In evidence Mr Daniel agreed his family is "quite extensive", with relatives living in the the north east of the city.

Advocate depute Paul Kearney asked: "Do you know of a family called the Lyons?"

Mr Daniel replied: "I have heard of them."

Mr Kearney asked if he knew of any "ill-feeling" between the Daniel and Lyons families and he replied: "Not that I know of."

He was asked what happened on December 8, 2016, and said that a car hit him when he drove in to Briarcroft Road, where he lived at the time.

Mr Kearney asked: "What happened after your car was hit?"

The witness answered: "I jumped out and ran away."

He described that he ran through a garden and in to a house, away from someone, but didn't see their face that was covered with "something black".

Mr Daniel said he thought there was more than one person, and that he ran "for safety".

He told the court: "I thought I was getting mugged for my car."

Jurors heard when he got in to the house he was hit on the back of the head with what he described in court as "a bladed instrument".

Mr Kearney showed Mr Daniel a police statement given the day after the alleged murder bid, which he accepted had his signature on it and said he was telling the truth in it.

The court heard he told officers he saw a car when he drove in to the estate he lived on.

He said to them: "As soon as it saw me it started moving, it crossed over on to my side of the road and forced me on to the pavement on my left.

"It crashed right in to the driver's side door, it sped right towards me that's why I knew something was up and I had to go on the pavement.

"It happened just outside 19 Briarcroft Road, it was deliberate."

Also in the statement it was noted: "As I got up to the stairs I think I turned right and went in to a room, just as I got in to this room I got hit.

"I think the guy hit me twice both to the back of the head."

The court heard he never saw what hit him but said to police "it was something heavy like a hatchet or machete".

Mr Daniel was taken to hospital and was treated with seven stitches to a cut on the back of his head.

The court heard evidence that he reported to the police finding a tracker device on his car in March 2017.

The trial before Judge Lord Mulholland continues.