Dan Laponder, founder and former president of the Mad Dogs Motorcycle Club, has been jailed for nine years for planting a pipe bomb under a rival's van. The 45-year-old was sentenced in November 2024 after pleading guilty to wilful fire raising and a Firearms Act offence.
Gang Feud Origins
Laponder was a leading figure in the Blue Angels, Scotland's oldest outlaw biker gang, before leading a split in 2023 to form the Mad Dogs. The break sparked a violent feud between the two groups, resulting in several injuries, including to former Mad Dogs president Mark “Bruni” Brown.
The pipe bomb attack occurred on June 8, 2024, when Laponder targeted a van belonging to David Rollo senior in Lennoxtown. Rollo's son is a Blue Angels member. An off-duty firefighter spotted the van on fire and discovered the device underneath, made from bottles, a copper pipe, and an RF receiver.
From Locksmith to Prison
In February 2023, Laponder launched a YouTube channel, "easy entry locksmith," to document his locksmith training. His 24 videos, featuring techniques like "drilling a yale lock" and "snapping a lock," attracted just 51 subscribers and 22,200 views.
He was linked to the bomb after DNA and fingerprints were found on the bottles and tape. Police also recovered a loaded shotgun from his barge in Kirkintilloch and found remote firing systems at a Mad Dogs-linked garage.
Life Behind Bars
Now at HMP Greenock, Laponder has claimed his "window" for a low-security transfer is six months away, potentially moving him to HMP Castle Huntly. In a social media post, he boasted of writing two books, recording an acoustic album, and working as a peer mentor.
He wrote: "My window to go to open prison is in six months, so that is my focus... I'll be back on top soon enough." He added, "I’ve written two books, one is a tutorial on how I taught myself guitar and the other is a short story of how I came to be in here."
