SENTENCING STATEMENTS

On sentencing, Lord Mulholland made the following comments in court:

“This case is another episode in an ongoing feud between rival organised crime groups.  In April 2025 fire-raisings occurred at three residential properties belonging to individuals believed to be linked to an organised crime group.  A commercial property was also targeted.  You were all acting under the direction of senior members of an organised crime group.

You all pled guilty to varying degrees of firebombing 3 homes and a business.  You could quite easily have been facing a murder charge had the fires taken a different course.  We can see the dangers of fires from recent events in Glasgow.

For charge 1, the four occupants in the house in Glasgow were all asleep within the house.  In the early hours of the morning, they were awoken by a bang and the sound of glass smashing.  You O’Hara and Stewart had doused petrol on the front door and then set it alight.  An item set on fire was thrown through the broken window, causing a large explosion of flames.  The occupants all escaped by the rear door.

For charge 3, the four occupants of a home in Stepps were asleep at 0330 hours.  You O’Hara and Stewart set fire to a cloth and threw at the front door causing the area around the door to be engulfed in flames.  The BMW X5 motor vehicle parked in the driveway was also set alight.  There was an explosion of flames simultaneously from the BMW and the front door of the dwelling.  Both of you then ran back to the vehicle.  You O’Hara recorded this on your mobile phone before driving off at speed.  All the occupants managed to escape and called the fire service.  The BMW valued at £70,000 was a write off.

For charge 6, all three of you set fire to a Carpet Store Factory Outlet.  You all poured petrol from jerry cans onto the exterior of the building and then you McLaughlin climbed onto the roof and you pour petrol on the roof.  You then set fire to the roof, causing a large explosion.  As a result of your footwear being on fire from the explosion you have to jump from the roof of the locus.  You all then return to the vehicle, and you O’Hara recorded the building on fire before driving off.

For charge 8, the two occupants were asleep in their beds when in the early hours of the morning you O’Hara and Stewart set fire to the door, window and walls of the house with petrol from jerry cans.  This time you Stewart filmed your handy work.  Thankfully the occupants of the house were unharmed. 

As I told you when you pled guilty, the public won’t accept this gangsterism, law enforcement won’t accept it and the courts won’t accept it. 

In sentencing you, I take into account the nature and circumstances of the criminality, the terms of the CJSWRs, your criminal records, everything said on your behalves, and your ages.  I should add that in respect of the Young Persons sentencing guidelines, the criminality here was planned in advance and in your cases O’Hara and Stewart was repeated.  You were all acting under the direction of senior members of an organised crime group.  It was sheer naked gangsterism, pure and simple.

In your case Marshall O’Hara, had you not pled guilty when you did, I would have sentenced you to a cumulo sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  Taking account of the timing of your pleas of guilty, I sentence you to a cumulo sentence of 7 years and 6 months’ imprisonment.

In your case Fraser Stewart, had you not pled guilty when you did, I would have sentenced you to a cumulo sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  Taking account of the timing of your pleas of guilty, I sentence you to a cumulo sentence of 7 years and 6 months’ imprisonment.

In your case Aiden Harris McLaughlin, had you not pled guilty when you did, I would have sentenced you to a sentence of 4 years’ imprisonment.  Taking account of the timing of your plea of guilty, I sentence you to a sentence of 3 years’ imprisonment.

I order that the sentences should run from the following dates being the dates the court ordered you O’Hara and Stewart into custody for these matters and in your case McLaughlin a date which takes account time of the time you spent on remand before being released on bail.

I will also make and order in respect of you Stewart and McLaughlin for time served as a result of an electronic tag.

Marshall O’Hara – from 25 April 2025.

Fraser Stewart – from 26 March 2026 – time served order for 155 days.

Aiden Harris McLaughlin – from 26 March 2026 (taking one month and one day off for the period spent on remand before being granted bail on 6 June 2025) – time served order for 146 days.

I will impose NHOs for life for O’Hara and Stewart in the terms to be notified by the clerk of court.”