Four men in court over 'firebombing' at Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson's pal's home and taxi firm
Four men have appeared in court charged in connection with alleged gangland firebombings across Edinburgh and Lanarkshire.
Robert Thomson, 18, Kieran Abercrombie, 31, Tyler Ramage, 18, and Kenzie Gardner, 18, were arrested by cops executing warrants in early morning raids on Friday, May 23, at addresses in Edinburgh, Whitburn and Bathgate, reports The Daily Record.
They appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday facing a number of various charges. Thomson, from Whitburn, appeared charged with three counts of wilful fire-raising and a firearms offence.
READ MORE: Edinburgh takeaway up in flames as emergency services race to scene
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He made no plea and was granted bail to appear again at a later date. Abercrombie, from Whitburn, also made no plea after being charged with three counts of wilful fireraising. He was remanded in custody to appear again within eight days.
Ramage, of no fixed abode, was charged with two counts of wilful fireraising. He made no plea and was granted bail to appear again at a later date.
Gardner, from Bathgate, was charged with with three counts of wilful fireraising. He made no plea and was granted bail to appear again at a later date.
We told how the home of David McMillan Snr, a close pal of mob boss Mark Richardson, on Pitcairn Grove was allegedly "firebombed" on Thursday, May 8.
McMillan Snr's home was previously targeted on April 17, when masked thugs set the front door of his property on fire while children slept inside. And on Thursday May 22 another incident occurred when a "machete attack" left the 54-year-old in hospital with serious injuries.
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Police said they are treating the incident as attempted murder and hunting a gang of masked men who were seen fleeing the area.
One of the 18-year-olds and Abercrombie were also charged in connection with fire-raising at Deuce Private Hire on Cumbernauld Road in Stepps on May 8, 2025.
The business is understood to be linked to the Daniels crime clan.
Pictures from the scene showed officers standing guard and police tape around the unit where the main front office window was boarded up.
Another image showed CID officers examining the scene with one officer pictured wearing blue forensic gloves.
In the past week a 21-year-old man appeared in court after the homes of Steven Bonzo Daniel and his uncle Norman Daniel were allegedly "firebombed" in Bishopbriggs.
He appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with two attempted murders and a fire-raising in Glasgow last month.
Police say they have arrested 41 people in connection with a series of linked incidents across the country.
Sources say trouble flared between the rival factions after hoods linked to caged mobster Mark Richardson were accused of ripping off Ross McGill, known as Mr Big, over a stash of cocaine worth £500,000.
Cops have committed to coming down hard on those involved in the violence in an investigation known as Operation Portaledge, with dawn raids on multiple properties.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell earlier this week said the investigation is a priority for forensics teams.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry also said: 'I want to reiterate that violence will not be tolerated and we will not stop until we bring those responsible to justice.
'We continue to work tirelessly and are following a number of positive lines of inquiry.
'The support of our communities is absolutely vital when it comes to tackling serious organised crime, preventing violence and getting justice for victims. I want to again thank the public for their continued help and information so far.
'If you know anything about these dangerous and abhorrent acts, please do the right thing and speak to us.'
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Then, in the past five years, he has played briefly in Thailand for PTT Rayong and then in Scotland with Livingston, Aberdeen (both in the top-flight Premiership) and Greenock Morton, either side of a brief stint in India with Jamshedpur and nine games for Kidderminster in England's fifth-tier National League. One finish, in particular, for Livingston against Hamilton Academical in March 2021, is a reminder of his eye for the spectacular: flicking the ball up, with his back to goal, then firing a swivelling volley into the roof of the net. 'That's magnificent from the man they call Jet' 😍Jay Emmanuel-Thomas scored an audacious volley in Livingston's 2-1 win against Hamilton Academical 👏 It was voted Livingston's goal-of-the-season award and was likened to his former team-mate Henry's famous volley for Arsenal against Manchester United in 2000. 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One was the player's 33-year-old partner, Yasmin Piotrowska, a fitness trainer from Kensal Green, north-west London. The other was her friend, Rosie Rowland, 29, from Chelmsford. Detectives discovered via WhatsApp messages and voicenotes that Emmanuel-Thomas had persuaded them to travel to Thailand and act as couriers in return for £2,500 in cash and an all-expenses-paid trip, flying in business class via Dubai. The women had been told it was gold they were bringing back. Unknown to them, it was actually cannabis, a class-B drug under UK law, vacuum-packed inside four suitcases. Each case had Apple AirTags to make sure the drugs weren't lost. Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested and, on his way to custody, he told officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA): 'I just feel sorry for the girls.' Yet he continued lying to Piotrowska after she had been arrested, sending her a WhatsApp message with instructions to 'delete everything from our chats if you can … this is impossible, I've never been involved in anything like this in my life. You know it should be only gold and cash.' The player deleted his own messages, disposed of his phone and bought a replacement to cover his tracks. After being arrested, he refused to answer questions from the police. Then, in his first series of court appearances, he denied any wrongdoing, insisting he was innocent and would fight the charges. Advertisement In reality, he had carried out 'extensive research' to set up the operation and had even arranged a dummy-run two months earlier to make sure everything went smoothly. Detectives believe his connections with the criminal underworld in Thailand may have begun during his 2019 spell there playing for PTT Rayong. 'Organised criminals like Emmanuel-Thomas can be very persuasive and offer payment to couriers,' says David Philips, the NCA's senior investigating officer. 'But the risk of getting caught is very high and it simply isn't worth it.' The two women had the criminal charges against them dropped at a court hearing last month, in which the prosecution accepted they had been duped and Emmanuel-Thomas changed his plea to guilty. Piotrowska dabbed her eyes with tissues. Rowland could be seen shaking her head in apparent disbelief. A month on, a tearful Piotrowska was back in court on Thursday to see Emmanuel-Thomas sentenced. 'Most of the boys (at Bristol City) would be amazed at what's happened,' says Cotterill. 'If you'd asked me, 'Do I think he would have got involved in anything like what's gone on?', no, I wouldn't. He was an easy-going, laid-back character. That's why I think this comes as a shock to probably everybody.' Will Emmanuel-Thomas have to spend the full four years behind bars? No. He has been on remand in prison since he was arrested and the judge told him he would have to serve 19 months in total before being released on licence, depending on good behaviour. The court was told he had already established himself as a mentor to younger inmates inside Chelmsford prison. In a letter to the judge, the footballer described his arrest, and everything that had happened since, as 'the most painful and eye-opening experience of my life'. It was the hardest letter he had ever had to write, he stated, explaining how he had let down his family and friends, as well as everyone he knew in football, including the supporters of the clubs where he had played. Advertisement He went on to talk about his deep shame, as a dad-of-two, bearing in mind he had looked upon his own father as a role model who led him away from temptation. His daughter had visited him in prison and the former Arsenal rising-star explained how 'that broke me — I never wanted her to see me in that light'. (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)
