A gangland drugs enforcer has been jailed for more than three years after petrol-bombing a home where a grandmother was looking after several children. Dean Ritchie, 29, drove accomplice Liam Rice, 21, to the Dundee property in November 2024 before Rice hurled a petrol bomb at the front door. Ring doorbell footage showed the Molotov cocktail explode and flames blaze at the entrance.
Sheriff's warning over violence
Sheriff George Way told Ritchie he had shown a “propensity for violence” and had put lives at risk, adding that the fire only failed to take hold “no thanks to you”. Ritchie was jailed for 38 months and placed on a 12-month supervised release order.
Rice, who was carrying out the attack to pay off a £1,500 drug debt, had previously been placed on a seven-month curfew and 18 months of social work supervision. He also admitted a second petrol bombing in Dundee.
Daniel brothers targeted in machete attacks
Robert Daniel, 51, and Ronnie Daniel, 41, were separately targeted in unsuccessful machete attacks at their Glasgow homes by suspected associates of the rival Lyons crime family. Robert is a senior figure in the Daniel family and has a long history of being targeted during the bitter feud, which is believed to date back more than 25 years. He was previously shot and seriously injured outside his Stepps home in 2017, while his property was set on fire in April last year as he slept inside.
Just weeks later, two men working at an accident repair centre owned by Daniel in East Kilbride were seriously injured in a machete attack. Police believe Daniel was the intended target. Ronnie is less well known but has also been linked to the feud. He was reportedly threatened with a shotgun by a Lyons associate in Possilpark in 2021 and is believed to have attended the funeral of Daniel family enforcer Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll, who was shot dead outside an Asda supermarket in Robroyston in 2010.
Lyons gang orders revenge attacks
The Lyons crime clan is understood to have ordered a series of brutal machete attacks against members of the rival Daniel family in an escalation of a long-running Glasgow gang war. Senior Lyons figures are believed to have instructed footsoldiers from Ross McGill's Tamo Junto gang to carry out the revenge attacks following the murders of Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan in the Costa del Sol last year.
The first attack took place on Curzon Street in Glasgow in the early hours of Friday, where balaclava-clad men armed with machetes allegedly smashed their way into a property while searching for Ronnie Daniel, 41. The gang reportedly ransacked the house before fleeing. The group then travelled to Honeywell Drive in Stepps, where they are understood to have targeted Ronnie's relative Robert Daniel, 51. Robert managed to escape after allegedly being chased near his home.
Car crashes into home amid gang war fears
A car has smashed into a home near Glasgow just a day after a series of brutal attacks reignited fears of a gangland war in the city. Emergency services were called to Low Borland Way in Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, at around 1.20pm on Friday, August 21, after a vehicle crashed into a property before driving away. A large police cordon was put in place and the house has since been fenced off.
The Record understands detectives are not ruling out a possible link to Operation Portaledge, Police Scotland's investigation into gangland activity across the central belt. The incident came just hours after two members of the Daniel family were targeted in separate alleged machete attacks. Detectives are now examining whether the latest incident is connected to the escalating feud.
Woman charged over Edinburgh lamppost substance
A woman has been arrested and charged after an unknown substance was discovered on a lamppost in Edinburgh, sparking a response from police and firefighters. Officers were called after reports of “items being placed on a lamppost” on Morningside Road on Thursday evening, August 20. A section of the road was closed while emergency services attended and the substance was removed.
A cordon was erected around the lamppost and public transport was disrupted as officers and firefighters dealt with the incident. Tests were carried out on the substance and it was found to pose no threat to the public. A 30-year-old woman has now been arrested and charged in connection with culpable and reckless conduct.
