Four men on trial over two murders and string of attacks

Four men are on trial accused of a string of serious attacks including two murders.

Barry Harvey, 35, Thomas Guthrie, 27, Darren Owen, 23, and Thomas Wilson, 26, allegedly committed the crimes over a seven month period.

Court papers state Harvey, while acting with Guthrie and another man, Neil Anderson, murdered Gary More at a property in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, on September 6, 2018.

The charge says they induced Mr More to leave his home and repeatedly discharged a firearm at him.

It is stated they repeatedly shot him on the head as well as his body.

Harvey and Guthrie are claimed to have set fire to the vehicle used in the alleged crime near a farm in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, in an attempt to pervert the course of justice on the same day.

The pair are also accused of attempting to murder Joseph Shields on July 19, 2018, in Glasgow’s Laurieston.

The charge claims this was done by repeatedly striking Mr Shields on the head and body with a knife.

The pair along with Owen face a separate murder bid charge on Scott Bennett by discharging a firearm and shooting his head in a car park at a vets in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire on December 3, 2018.

It is claimed the three men set a car on fire said to have been used in the offence in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

Owen and Wilson are alleged to have murdered Rafal Lyko on February 11, 2019 in Cambuslang and Blantyre, Lanarkshire on February 2019.

The charge states this was done by causing him to enter a vehicle and discharged a firearm at him.

Harvey is further accused of assaulting Guthrie by striking him on the head with a bottle and the body with a hammer to his injury.

The four men are on trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Harvey and Wilson have lodged a special defence of alibi.

The trial commenced with the reading of agreed evidence known as a joint minute.

The document stated that Mr More was “shot on the head and body and died”.

It stated that Neil Anderson was shown talking to Mr More before he was shot.

Mr Anderson called an ambulance following the shooting and Mr More was pronounced dead later that night.

The document further stated that the cause of death was “gun shot wound to head and neck”.

The joint minute states that a Skoda Fabia was found on fire after 10pm on the day of Mr More’s death.