Killers’ brother jailed for feud murder bid

The brother of two convicted killers was jailed for seven years yesterday after trying to murder a key witness at their trial following a feud between two families.

Thr High Court in Edinburgh. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Kris Malavin, 26, struck James McGregor with his car before 
repeatedly driving over his 
fallen victim as he lay in the road.

Mr McGregor was left in the middle of the road screaming in pain and suffered fractures to his pelvis, hip joint and leg and internal bleeding.

A judge told Malavin: “It is clear this assault has had a 
devastating effect on him physically, psychologically and financially.”

Lord Jones told Malavin that he had been assessed as posing a high risk of causing serious harm in future, although he accepted the car attack was “an isolated incident”.

The judge said at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This was a very serious assault and it must be met with a custodial sentence.”

He told Malavin that he would have faced an eight-year prison term but for his guilty plea. Malavin had earlier admitted assaulting Mr McGregor, 54, to his severe injury, permanent impairment and disfigurement and attempting to murder him at Glasgow’s Maryhill Road on 17 January this year.

Malavin, formerly of Kenilworth Crescent, Bearsden, was driving a brother’s partner to work in the city centre when Mr McGregor was standing at a bus stop. Mr McGregor saw the Audi suddenly stop and carry out a U-turn at speed, before Malavin’s younger brother, Zico, 19, a passenger in the car, got out.

Mr McGregor ran away on to Maryhill Road but was hit by the car. He was thrown backwards and landed on the road.

He got to his feet and went towards the driver’s door but was struck again by the car and pinned against a parked taxi.

Malavin reversed and the victim fell on to the road. The car driver then manoeuvred his vehicle so it was facing Mr McGregor and drove over his legs. He then straightened the Audi up and drove over the victim’s legs again before fleeing at speed.

Police who arrived at the scene found the victim lying in the middle of the busy road screaming.

Witnesses told them he had been hit and run over by a silver Audi and gave registration details of the car.

A patrol in the Saracen area of the city later spotted the vehicle at traffic lights and unemployed Malavin was detained. He later told officers: “This was an accident.”

Mr McGregor was taken to the city’s Western Infirmary and underwent surgery and was given a blood transfusion.

He was left with permanent impairment and has a limp and will require a hip replacement.

The court heard that the background to the incident was a long running feud between the Malavin family and another.

Mr McGregor was a key witness at the trial in 2010 of Malavin’s brothers Angus and Zac, found guilty of murdering Andrew Curran, 41 at Maryhill Park. The pair were jailed for life.

The murder victim was a close friend of Mr McGregor. Following the trial further attacks have occurred. Malavin’s counsel, Tony Graham, said he had in the past taken steps to avoid confrontation, but on this occasion did not take his usual precautions.

He said that although he had previous convictions they were not indicative of taking part in any ongoing feud.

The defence counsel said: “He is not a man who is intent on a criminal lifestyle.” He asked the judge to consider it to be “a single incident which has occurred through a number of factors”.