Scottish courts must give longer sentences to domestic abusers and support victims
The 47-year-long reign of abuse suffered by Eve Graham at the hands of her ex-husband should shock Scotland.
Eve was subjected to the most horrific attacks by William McDonald – including punches, biting, mental torture and even pushing her off a pier.
The gran has bravely decided to tell her story in the Daily Record today to encourage other women to come forward.
She suffered in silence for too long and she wants other domestic abuse victims to raise alarm bells as soon as they can.
We are backing Eve's call 100 per cent and think it's essential that support for women in these situations is improved.
However, after suffering for 47 years Eve is furious at seeing her husband jailed for just two years.
She says the sentence is too lenient – and we agree this is another example of the courts going easy on domestic abuse.
Elsewhere in our paper today we report on conman Thomas Robinson, jailed for three and a half years for selling fake Scottish tea to posh hotels.
Many will wonder if our justice system has the right priorities when looking at these two cases.
Do we really believe as a society that the abuse of a woman over 47 years is less serious that selling dodgy tea?
The courts need to start reflecting the horror felt by right-minded people at prolonged and violent abuse of women.
That means longer sentences and more support for victims.
And hopefully Eve's case can spark a national debate that brings about the change women desperately need to see.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
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If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Rethink the Bill
The principles behind Labour's welfare bill are sound and supportable.
The Tories consigned too many people who can work to a life on benefits, instead of supporting them into jobs.
They failed to tackle the NHS backlog that fuels the sickness benefits bill and did not provide the unemployed with adequate training.
Labour's plan aims to help hundreds of thousands of people by restoring the dignity of work. But the actual Bill has not been handled well and could be scuppered by fuzzy thinking.
There is a big difference between those who can work, and those who cannot, but Labour's Bill does not do enough to distinguish between the two.
People who genuinely need to be on sickness and disability benefits should never be worse off under a Labour Government, but they will lose money.
And despite the measures being framed as pro-work, the cuts will also hit disabled people who already have a job.
The vulnerable must be protected and Labour must rethink parts of their welfare Bill.
Otherwise they could be about to walk into another badly handled debacle like the Winter Fuel Payment U-turn.
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4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Gangster Ross Monaghan sold square sausage for cash in Costa del "Shop and Drop"
The slain hood had a grocery delivery business that catered for expat tastes - including Irn Bru. Slain Scots gangster Ross Monaghan ran an online supermarket selling expats a taste from home as a successful sideline before he was murdered in a gangland execution in the Costa Del Sol. The 46-year-old dad-of-two became a director of Costa Shop And Drop after fleeing to Spain following a botched hit attempt outside a Glasgow primary school. As well as running his Monaghan's Irish bar in Fuengirola - where he was murdered alongside pal Eddie Lyons jnr - he also operated an online shop for expat Scots stocking square sausage, Irn Bru and other UK goods. Monaghan, killed after being cornered in his bar in Fuengirola moments after his 43-year-old gang pal Eddie Lyons Jr was shot dead, used the sales slogan: 'Craving Your Favourite British Food?' Other items in stock include started Walkers Crisps, Weetabix, Colman's Mustard and Pot Noodles. The company, which continues to sell products from their Malaga warehouse, also markets toiletries and beauty products. It offers next-day delivery on all orders placed within the Costa del Sol, describing itself online as a 'new and exciting' service and boasting: 'Our prices are often lower than the market leading competitors.' On the firm's website it states: 'Costa Shop & Drop was established in 2020 in order to bring the very best British branded food, drink and household products direct to your home. 'In the midst of a global pandemic, we came to the realisation there was a huge demand for people to order the products they love from the UK and for them to be delivered directly to their home without the need to travel. The idea of Costa Shop & Drop was born! 'Our ethos is customer based and we strive towards meeting the needs of you, the customer! 'Same day ordering and delivery service – 7 days a week!' Monaghan was a senior member of the Lyons gang who Spanish police believe was murdered at Monaghan's bar by a hitman working for the rival Daniel criminal organisation. He was appointed sole director of the Spanish ex-pat shopping firm on February 8 2021. The company began operating on the same date with a registered office on Malaga's Guadalhorce industrial estate a stone's throw from the city airport used by millions of Brits every year. But despite publicising itself across social media, a Daily Record investigation can today reveal official documents show it has failed to file annual tax returns since its launch year. Company registrars have already given the firm a rap over the knuckles for failing to comply with its legal obligations by preventing it from making changes to its official registration sheet. The decision is explained in an official Spanish Companies House document we have had access to called 'Special Situation of Costa Shop and Drop.' The online supermarket home delivery service stopped updating its social media after its registered director and his gangster friend were gunned down at Monaghans Irish Bar in Fuengirola on May 31 following the Champions League final. But on Monday the firm posted for the first time since the gruesome double murder, saying in a post on its official Instagram site titled 'Convenience Delivered' : 'Life's busy - let us handle your shopping! 'Costa Shop & Drop delivers groceries, household essentials, and UK favourites right to your door - even to remote areas. 'Spend less time shopping and more time enjoying life.' A second post the same day alongside a photo of a uniformed delivery man added: 'From fresh produce to household essentials, we've got you covered. 'Plus, enjoy free delivery on orders over 25 euros.' There is no mention of Monaghan on the firm's website or its social media accounts, although the pub he owned is a registered follower of its official Instagram site. Over the weekend it emerged the drinking hole where the Scots hoods were shot dead has reopened under the new name Irish Rover with a 'well-known' local landlord called Clive. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Monaghans Fuengirola said in a Facebook post last Thursday: 'The Rover Returns. 'Join Clive and all the team when the doors open this coming weekend at the new Irish Rover! 'Clive, a well known pub landlord in the area, with over 26 years in the game decided to give it another go, and looks forward to welcoming his customers old and new on his new adventure.' The assassin suspected of murdering Monaghan and Lyons Jr was held in Liverpool on June 13 on an international arrest warrant issued by a court in Fuengirola. Michael Riley, 44, is on remand in prison after confirming he is fighting extradition to Spain. Spanish police chiefs described the man who shot the Scots mobsters late last month as a member of the rival Daniel crime clan, despite Police Scotland saying they had 'no intelligence' to suggest the killings were linked to the ongoing gangland turf war here. Malaga-based Spanish National Police chief superintendent Pedro Agudo Novo revealed last week at a packed press conference the dramatic Liverpool arrest was made after detectives discovered the alleged gunman was about to flee his UK bolthole for a 'paradise island tax haven.' He said: 'The double murder was carried out by a professional killer and member of one of the victims' rival gangs.' Saying he had fled Spain via Portugal before taking a plane to Leeds, he added: 'I want to highlight the high level of professionalism of this individual. Not only did he walk up to the table where the victims were sitting and kill the first man before continuing with his mission when his gun jammed. 'It's not normal for a criminal to react the way he did in the face of this unexpected problem and resolve the situation to continue and pursue his second victim inside the bar and kill him.' Career criminal Monaghan, who fled Scotland for Spain after a failed attempt on his life outside a Glasgow primary school in 2017, was tried but acquitted over the murder of notorious Glasgow hood Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll at an Asda car park in 2010. In August 2017 he and Eddie Lyons Jr, both members of the Lyons Glasgow crime family, were cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. The Fuengirola pub murders followed the fatal shooting nearly seven weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda a 15-minute drive from the Irish bar towards Marbella. He was shot dead around 8pm on April 21 in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after finishing a football match with friends. The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool. The Daily Record has asked management of Costa Shop and Drop to comment.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scottish courts must give longer sentences to domestic abusers and support victims
The 47-year-long reign of abuse suffered by Eve Graham at the hands of her ex-husband should shock Scotland. Eve was subjected to the most horrific attacks by William McDonald – including punches, biting, mental torture and even pushing her off a pier. The gran has bravely decided to tell her story in the Daily Record today to encourage other women to come forward. She suffered in silence for too long and she wants other domestic abuse victims to raise alarm bells as soon as they can. We are backing Eve's call 100 per cent and think it's essential that support for women in these situations is improved. However, after suffering for 47 years Eve is furious at seeing her husband jailed for just two years. She says the sentence is too lenient – and we agree this is another example of the courts going easy on domestic abuse. Elsewhere in our paper today we report on conman Thomas Robinson, jailed for three and a half years for selling fake Scottish tea to posh hotels. Many will wonder if our justice system has the right priorities when looking at these two cases. Do we really believe as a society that the abuse of a woman over 47 years is less serious that selling dodgy tea? The courts need to start reflecting the horror felt by right-minded people at prolonged and violent abuse of women. That means longer sentences and more support for victims. And hopefully Eve's case can spark a national debate that brings about the change women desperately need to see. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Rethink the Bill The principles behind Labour's welfare bill are sound and supportable. The Tories consigned too many people who can work to a life on benefits, instead of supporting them into jobs. They failed to tackle the NHS backlog that fuels the sickness benefits bill and did not provide the unemployed with adequate training. Labour's plan aims to help hundreds of thousands of people by restoring the dignity of work. But the actual Bill has not been handled well and could be scuppered by fuzzy thinking. There is a big difference between those who can work, and those who cannot, but Labour's Bill does not do enough to distinguish between the two. People who genuinely need to be on sickness and disability benefits should never be worse off under a Labour Government, but they will lose money. And despite the measures being framed as pro-work, the cuts will also hit disabled people who already have a job. The vulnerable must be protected and Labour must rethink parts of their welfare Bill. Otherwise they could be about to walk into another badly handled debacle like the Winter Fuel Payment U-turn.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Ex-gangland lawyer calls for cocaine to be legal in bid to halt trade in Scotland
A former gangland lawyer says that decriminalising cocaine could deter crime gangs from getting involved in the multi million pound trade, A former gangland lawyer says decriminalising cocaine is the only way to make the multi billion trade in Scotland less attractive to crime gangs. James McIntyre believes such a move would free up scare police resources to tackle what he sees as more serious offences such as cyber crime and high value online fraud scams, often targeted against the elderly and other vulnerable groups. In an exclusive interview with Criminal Record - our new weekly podcast - the 68 year old said:"That's far more serious than people actually wanting to buy a bit of cocaine. "If there is a war against drugs then the authorities have lost it very badly. "If you think you are golng to solve the drug problem in the way that America tried with the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's and 30's then you are sadly mistaken. "You need to decriminalise it.. "At the moment all you are doing is depriving the public of something they actually want." During a 30 year career McIntyre was lawyer and trusted confidant to some of Scotland's most high profile underworld figures. He has been described as the real-life Tom Hagen, the fictional "consigliere" or adviser to the Corleone mafia family in The Godfather book and movies. His previous clients include the McGovern family - six brothers known as the McGovernment because of the control they allegedly had over the Springburn area of Glasgow. McIntyre has also represented former underworld enforcer-turned-author Paul Ferris. He added "If I want to have a glass of wine then I am not going to stop because the government says I can't. "We are denying a fact that people want recreational drugs. "I have nothing against the gangs because all they are dolng is meeting a demand from the public "I don't blame them for stepping into the gap." The former criminal lawyer continued:"There is a lot of talk just now about drugs which I find to be hypocritical. " Cocaine is rife in the film, music and entertainment industry but no one ever seems to be prosecuted. "However the person who supplies them can end up in prison. "That does not seem to be fair. "Cocaine is so wide spread, it is not going to get any better. You need to decriminalise it. "Whether you like it or not the so called so called organised crime groups are only meeting a demand from the public for drugs" Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In 1995 McIntyre represented Thomas McGovern, then 28, who was accused of shooting dead a man outside the Ashfield Bar in Springburn. He walked free from the High Court when a key witness said he was not the man she saw do the shooting. McIntyre also represented youngest brother Paul, then 16, who was convicted in 1990 of murdering a school janitor in Springburn and sentenced to life. A third brother Tony McGovern, was shot dead outside the New Morven bar in Balornock, Glasgow, in 2000 and James attended his funeral. In November 1997 McIntyre received a three-year sentence at the High Court in Glasgow for a firearms find at his home in Linlithgow, West Lothian which marked the end of his legal career. The lawyer had claimed they were being held for a client who wanted them given to a police gun amnesty. Four years earlier McIntyre was also the target of a failed underworld hit in his offices close to the High Court in Glasgow when he was stabbed several times. Though he knew the identity of his assailant he has has never given the name to police. Since his release from prison in 1999 the grandfather has used his real-life experiences to become a successful writer for TV shows like EastEnders, New City Law and Taggart. He has also written more than 80 episodes of River City, including for Frank Gallagher, who plays gangster Lenny Murdoch. In 2023 McIntyre brought out a book on his life Jimmy Two Guns, the Life and Crimes of a Gangland Lawyer. However the man who led the fight against drugs and organised crime in Scotland for three years is against decriminalisation and he does not believe it will reduce crime. Graeme Pearson was Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency between 2004 and 2007 and is a former Labour MSP and justice spokesman. He said:"The problem with drugs is the impact it has on the individuals health. "If you allow people to access drugs or encourage people to access drugs you are going to end up with more upset in the community and more violence because of the drugs impact on the individual. You will also have the mental health issues that come along with it. " Decriminalisation doesn't deal with the underlying issue of drug abuse." Mr Pearson added:"We have legal alcohol but still have bootleg booze flooding into the country because it is cheaper. "That's what criminals would do with drugs. "We have enough problems in Scottish communities with alcohol and tobacco. Who would want to legalise or decriminalise drugs?. "It's the last thing you want to introduce into your family environment."
