Kevin Carroll trial: ‘Gerbil’ took contract out on fellow gangster

Detective Constable James Sloan said that the man told him Mr Carroll had put out a hit on him three months before the shooting.

DC Sloan was giving evidence at the trial of 30-year-old Ross Monaghan, who denies murdering Mr Carroll by gunning him down at the Asda car park in Robroyston, Glasgow, on 13 January 2010.

The jury was told that DC Sloan spoke to the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after the shooting. He refused to give a formal statement, but did give information to the inquiry. Defence QC Derek Ogg asked DC Sloan: “Did this man say, ‘I’ll do ten years for that wee prick – it’ll be worth it’.” He replied: “I don’t recall that.”

Mr Ogg added: “Did this man say he was no longer an associate because he understood that Gerbil had offered £100,000 for a hit on him?” The detective replied: “That’s correct.” The man also gave police information about a number of people interested in doing serious harm to Mr Carroll, DC Sloan said.

Monaghan’s legal team has lodged a special defence blaming eight men including William Paterson, who is believed to be in Spain, for the shooting.

The jury heard that DC Sloan also spoke to Scott Bennett, a nightclub owner, about a mobile phone number of interest to the inquiry. He took a statement from Mr Bennett in a supermarket car park in Bearsden on 10 September 2010 because he refused to go to a police station.

Advocate-depute Iain McSporran, prosecuting, asked DC Sloan: “Did he give information about a mobile phone number ending in 1210 that the investigation was interested in?” He replied: “Yes.”

Mr Bennett’s statement was read out in court and in it he said that he was looking for a roofer to repair a leak at his Clydebank nightclub.

He said in the statement: “I got the number from a mate of mine for Ross Monaghan. He’s a pal of mine. I know him as ‘Hugo’. It’s rhyming slang: Hugo Boss, Ross.”

Mr Bennett told DC Sloan that he was called twice by the number ending 1210 which he believed was Monaghan’s number.

Under cross-examination, DC Sloan was asked by Mr Ogg: “If Mr Bennett was a pal of Mr Monaghan’s, why did he have to get his number from a friend?” He replied: “That’s what he said.”

It is alleged that while masked and acting with others, Monaghan murdered 29-year-old Mr Carroll by repeatedly discharging handguns at him, shooting him in the head and body.

He denies all the charges against him. The trial before judge Lord Brailsford continues.