Machete attack costs Glasgow shopkeeper his leg - 2 guilty of attempted murder

A British courtroom symbolises justice proceedings in a violent crime case (Symbolic image - AI generated) Upday Stock Images

Two men have been convicted of attempted murder after a brutal ambush on a Glasgow shopkeeper that left him losing his left leg. Liam McDonald, 36, and Dylan Haldane, 37, face sentencing on December 18 in Edinburgh following the attack on Mohammed Arif outside his Day-Today store in Pollok on August 13, 2023.

Four assailants dressed in forensic suits and masks wielding machetes, knives, and what appeared to be a handgun descended on Arif. The 37-year-old shopkeeper suffered devastating injuries to his left leg, with severe damage to ligaments, arteries, and nerves requiring amputation above the knee. Police later recovered the weapons from bins and gardens across Glasgow, including a black-handled revolver capable of firing blanks.

Harrowing Court Testimony

Arif told the High Court in Glasgow he regained consciousness on the ground outside his shop. «I just remember waking up lying on the floor, I was lying outside the shop at the rear of the van,» he recalled. «I felt exhausted. There was pain in my left foot and I asked my brother to take my shoe off. He was in a panic.»

His brother Adnan, who witnessed the attack, described the terrifying moment he realized the danger. «There was a second shot and that was when it hit me the bangs were a gun,» he testified. He watched helplessly as one attacker in a white boiler suit stood over Mohammed, threatening: «You are going to die here fatboy.»

Organized Crime Background

The court heard the brothers had previously been linked to an organized crime gang but wanted to distance themselves from criminal activities. Arif told police he was trying to make extra money for his struggling shop rather than remain involved with narcotics. Prosecutors said the attack was believed to be retribution for their decision to break away from the gang.

McDonald and Haldane, who have nearly 70 convictions between them, denied involvement but were found guilty. A third gang member, William Dickson, 39, pleaded guilty last year and was jailed for over nine years. Co-accused Richard Dunn, 46, was found not proven.

Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).