Ross Torrance, a 38-year-old man suspected of murdering two men in a Glasgow flat, took his own life before detectives could arrest him. Torrance, who had a history of violent crime including a masked robbery with meat cleavers, was found dead under the George V Bridge in Glasgow city centre a day after the bodies were discovered.
Background of Violence
Torrance had been jailed in 2017 for robbing a petrol station in Bearsden near Glasgow while wearing a balaclava and carrying two meat cleavers. During that robbery in December 2016, he threatened 47-year-old Margaret Stowell, who was about to close the station at 10pm. The prosecutor, Bill McVicar, told the High Court in Glasgow that Torrance said, "Do what yer telt and you won't get hurt," and placed a bag on the counter, demanding money. The worker stalled him by saying it took a few minutes to open the till and activated the panic alarm after handing over £170.
While serving his four years and eight months sentence in Perth prison, Torrance was convicted of attacking a prison officer after illicit SIM cards were found. The sheriff court heard he stripped off, covered himself in shower gel, and headbutted the guard during an outburst in his cell. Sheriff Francis Gill handed him six months imprisonment, to run alongside his existing sentence, which did not affect his release date of March 2023.
Previous Convictions
Torrance had prior convictions for assault and disorderly conduct, and was jailed for 30 months in 2012 for an assault involving a machete. A source described him as "a highly dangerous man" who had been in and out of jail all his life, adding that it was "no surprise" police believed he murdered with a blade given his form for such violence.
Detectives believe Torrance killed Paul Lafferty, 50, and Gary Beaton, 54, in a flat in Chancellor Street, Partick, in August. The two men were found on August 16. A day later, Torrance was found with apparently self-inflicted stab wounds between the Broomielaw and the River Clyde.
Family Reaction
Cerys Lafferty, daughter of Paul Lafferty, expressed her anger after Police Scotland said Torrance would have been arrested for the double killing had he been traced alive. She said, "Torrance should burn in hell for what he did to my dad," and added, "My dad was cruelly taken from us, and we have been left trying to navigate a world that suddenly feels very different without him."
Police Scotland confirmed that if the man under the bridge had been alive, he would have been arrested for two counts of murder.
