Lloyd McKay and Calvin Gilmour specifically targeted the parents of a debtor.
Lloyd McKay and Calvin Gilmour, two mob enforcers, avoided prison despite launching a petrol bomb attack on a luxury car parked outside a couple’s residence. This act was intended as a menacing reminder concerning their son’s substantial drug-related debt of £100,000.
The clumsy pair were apprehended after one of them suffered scorched hands and singed hair, with the incident being recorded by surveillance cameras.
The court was informed that this act was the first of two horrifying assaults directed at the drug-addicted son’s parents in Tayside by criminals from Glasgow.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown assigned McKay 270 hours of community service, taking into account his spinal injury which limited him to lighter tasks. Gilmour was sentenced to 225 hours of community service and both were instructed to indefinitely avoid any contact with the victimized couple. McKay, aged 24, and Gilmour, aged 21, had been sent to Dundee to forcefully convey a message about settling the son’s financial obligations.
At the Forfar Sheriff Court, they both pleaded guilty to intentionally setting the Mercedes on fire on October 27, 2022, damaging it beyond repair.
Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson detailed to the court how the father received ominous phone calls about the £100,000 debt his son had accumulated. The anonymous caller threatened, “You better sort it out with your boy or it’s going to get taken out on you.”
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“When the father heard his wife’s car alarm, he looked outside to see the vehicle engulfed in flames and promptly called the police and fire services,” recounted Wilkinson.
Despite trying to extinguish the fire with a hose, the strong smell of petrol hinted at foul play, connected to the earlier phone warnings.
Wilkinson added that after the fire, the father received another call inquiring if his car was ablaze. The limited insurance compensation left the couple £21,000 short.
Detectives used CCTV footage from a nearby petrol station showing McKay’s vehicle and confirmed through mobile records that he had traveled from Glasgow to the incident site.
The duo were observed purchasing water bottles at the petrol station, which were later identified as containers used to transport the petrol thrown into the torched car. One of the criminals had discernible burn injuries and had even searched online for remedies for burnt hair. They were traced through the mobile number used to contact the victims.
Two other criminals have been imprisoned for their roles in related attacks on the same family, aimed at pressuring them to settle the son’s large drug debt.
Lewis Goldfarb, 41, received a two-year prison sentence, and Robert Notman, 47, was sentenced to 14 months for their involvement in the December 2022 incidents targeting the family. Their tasks included slashing tires and breaking windows to instill fear.
Notman made multiple trips to execute these threats, accompanied by Goldfarb, who also slashed car tires and damaged a CCTV camera to cover their tracks.
The second visit was particularly traumatic for the mother, who was alone when they smashed a window and forcefully demanded entry, leaving her immensely distressed.
Police quickly apprehended the duo within an hour of the incident. When caught, Goldfarb was found carrying a lock-knife, and both had histories of violent behavior, the court noted.
Hi, I’m Benjamin, a member of the Sherburne County Citizen team. With a passion for writing and a deep interest in current affairs, I thoroughly enjoy bringing you the latest news and trends that affect our daily lives.
