Monro attempted to kill this victim by slitting his throat with a knife while positioning him head down to bleed him out.

•Two counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder
•One County of Assault in the First Degree
•Three counts of Robbery in the First Degree
•Five counts of Robbery in the Second Degree
•Felon in Possession of a Firearm
•Burglary in the First Degree and Theft in the First Degreejury convicted a gang member of holding the victim of a robbery upside and slitting his throat during a home invasion robbery.The victim survived to testify against Shawn Richard Monro, who turns 28 Friday. He will be sentenced Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m.The trial took more than two weeks. The jury convicted the defendant of 18 felony counts including:
The charges stem from a series of robberies and the attempted aggravated murder of a Eugene man during a home-invasion robbery near Cal Young Middle School.
Monro attempted to kill this victim by slitting his throat with a knife while positioning him head down to bleed him out.
The trial included testimony witnesses who were Westside Gangsters and Gangster Disciple members at the time of the offenses, most of whom are currently serving prison sentences for their roles in these crimes and others. The crimes were investigated by a team led by Eugene Police Department detectives in the course of a multi-year investigation into related gang activities in October of 2006. Other participants in the Eugene home invasion robbery included Paul McCloskey, Robert Jablonski and Michael Vaughan. They are all serving Measure 11 prison sentences. This crime spree culminated in the gang related murder of Noah Thacker by Michael Anthony Vaughan. The day following the Eugene home invasion, Vaughan executed Thacker and then lit his body and apartment on fire. In 2008 Michael Vaughan pled guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Gurneerkamal Gill was picked up during a raid

Gurneerkamal Gill was picked up during a raid on his family’s Abbotsford home late Wednesday afternoon.While he has some links to the United Nations gang, he was an independent businessman allegedly running a four-phone drug line to the tune of about $1,000 a day profit, Const. Ian MacDonald said.The arrest is just the latest by the Abbotsford police, who have been targeting front-line drug crews in an effort to disrupt the profits of Fraser Valley gangsters.Members of the Red Scorpions and the UN have been busted in recent months, along with freelancers like Gill, who appeared in court Thursday.“This guy is definitely associated with card-carrying gang members — predominantly on the UN side — but he is what I would characterize as close a freelancer as I have seen,” MacDonald said. MacDonald said Gill was not on police radar until very recently, even though investigators believe he has been running a lucrative dial-a-dope operation for up to two years.During the raid on the home at 2167 Martens St., police seized a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, a bolt-action rifle, ammunition, heroin, cocaine, cash and four cellphones, MacDonald said.

Gill is now facing two trafficking charges and three weapons charges.

MacDonald said Gill was living at home, driving two German-made automobiles worth $100,000 and telling people the money came from his business.
His family did not know about his alleged drug trafficking, MacDonald said.
“He was doing limited distribution through his residence, but the bulk of it he was doing by driving to people’s houses,” MacDonald said.
“In the current climate where you have got gangs at war and where you have got police trying to arrest people and we are looking for information on people, he had isolated himself pretty well by being an independent business guy.”
Gill has no criminal record and is listed in federal documents as the owner of a business called Seven Star Import & Export, operated from the Martens Street house.
“He was the prototypical gangster, not by association to a criminal organization, but by lifestyle. He fits that middle-class gangster mould where you still have a close association to your middle-class or upper middle-class roots, but now you can adorn yourself with all the accoutrements of engaging in illegitimate business.”
With high-profile Abbotsford leaders of both the UN and Red Scorpions in jail, police are now targeting other levels of the drug trade, including independents like Gill.Since November, Abbotsford police have arrested people at drug houses linked to both gangs. One of those charged, Red Scorpion Jason William Brown, appeared in Surrey Provincial Court on Thursday.
“Part of the directive that we have received from the chief and the deputy is that we are going to put gangsters and drug dealers in jail wherever we come upon them, regardless of where they are in the food chain, we are going to make arrests,” MacDonald said. “2010 is going to be a record year for arresting gangsters and drug dealers. Our mandate is to make it as ugly as possible to be a gangster in Abbotsford.”

Gotti's last three trials for racketeering have ended in mis-trial

Gotti's last three trials for racketeering have ended in mis-trial because of jury tampering or deadlocked juries. The alleged Mob boss is accused of taking over New York's biggest crime family from his infamous father, John "The Dapper Don" Gotti, who died in jail. The latest trial, in its sixth week, heard testimony about how the Mob sought to intimidate jurors. A Mafia turncoat testifying for the prosecution claimed that Mr Gotti mouthed the words "I'll kill you" to him in the courtroom.
Before the trial started, seven jurors asked unsuccessfully to be removed from the case, saying that they were scared of retribution. Judge Kevin Castel dismissed one juror who said that she was brushed by a car while crossing a Manhattan street in an incident that she took as a warning from the Mob. A second juror was dismissed because his hedge fund was losing too much money without him, leaving only four alternative jurors left to step in. Judge Castel questioned the remaining jurors individually on Tuesday about the latest row.

Gotti, 45, voiced concern over an allegation in the letter than Juror No 7 considered his defence lawyer "very handsome". The letter writer mistakenly called the defence lawyer Charles Carneglia, instead of Charles Carnesi - mixing up his surname for that of a Mafia hitman who dissolved his victims in acid.
"A juror thinks the guy representing me is a five-time murderer. What shot do I have?" said Mr Gotti.

Michael Kanaan: Shoot to Kill

Michael Kanaan was an angry young man in a hurry to make a name for himself in Sydney's underworld. But his volatile temper and penchant for violence soon led him to kill three men before he was finally captured in a wild shootout with Sydney police. Born in Australia in 1975 to Lebanese parents he grew up following American crime gang culture in films and music. As a teenager he moved into petty theft and assault before his first arrest, for drug possession, in his early twenties. Despite being given a suspended sentence and a two-year good behaviour bond, he was soon in trouble again, this time for common assault, for which he escaped with a fine. He quickly returned to drug dealing and his gang, known as DK's boys, made huge profits distributing cocaine in Sydney's Kings Cross. His reputation grew and by 1998, at age 23, he had become a lieutenant to organised crime figure Danny Karam. Although outwardly courteous and well spoken, Michael Kanaan had an uncontrollable temper and did not hesitate to use violence to settle disputes. In July 1998, he made a passing comment to some people involved in a fight outside the Five Dock Hotel in Sydney's inner west. When one of them approached him, Kanaan suddenly drew a pistol and shot two men dead. His attempt to shoot a third failed as he had run out of bullets. A few months later, Kanaan led his gang in a drive-by shooting attack on the police station at Lakemba in Sydney in which the building was sprayed with bullets. Soon afterwards he organised the brutal execution of his underworld boss, Danny Karam in December 1998. He was finally cornered by police and arrested after a shoot-out in inner city Rushcutters Bay in which Constable Chris Patrech was wounded.

Denard Edward "Bird" Carrington pleaded guilty in October to possession of firearms

Denard Edward "Bird" Carrington pleaded guilty in October to possession of firearms by a felon, possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of powder cocaine, and possession of an unregistered firearm.In a jury trial that same month, he also was convicted of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. He was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer in Richmond.Authorities said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Richmond Police Department began investigating Carrington's drug dealing last year. Investigators searched his house, at 1701 Peter Paul Blvd., on April 21.
When investigators entered the house, Carrington ran from the living room to the bedroom and jumped out of a rear window. He was caught in the backyard.
According to papers filed in U.S. District Court, as Carrington was led from the residence a neighbor asked him what he was caught with and Carrington replied: "a kilo."Inside Carrington's bedroom authorities seized more than 500 grams of powder cocaine, digital scales with cocaine and marijuana residue on them, drug-packaging materials, documents bearing Carrington's name, a money-counter, a safe, $57,021 in cash, a fully automatic Mac-10 machine gun, an AK-47 semiautomatic assault rifle, and assorted jewelry valued at $32,760.In addition, a Glock 31 .357-caliber handgun was recovered from inside a toilet bowl in the bathroom of the master bedroom.

Juan Ruben Vela Garcia denied being the leader of the MS-13 gang.

Juan Ruben Vela Garcia knew what he would say in court Thursday could get him killed.
From the witness stand, Garcia, a former member of the MS-13 gang, told jurors that six men on trial were members of the violent gang.
Asked by a prosecutor if he was nervous, Garcia, 30, replied: "Yes, sir, I am."
The prosecutor then asked why he was cooperating with law enforcement.
"I'm ashamed. I'm embarrassed...," he said. "That's the way to get out of the gang. You die or you become a rat. That's what I am now - a rat."Each of the six men on trial at the federal courthouse in Charlotte is charged with racketeering conspiracy. Some also face firearms, drugs and robbery charges. One is charged with murder.The six men on trial are among 26 suspected MS-13 gang members indicted in June 2008. Eighteen, including Garcia, have pleaded guilty. One man is in a prison in El Salvador. Another, charged with murder, is scheduled to be tried for his life later this year.Prosecutors have said the defendants were part of an international organization that committed crimes across Charlotte, including robbery, extortion and murder.Garcia told jurors he's in the witness protection program while incarcerated. He said he became a member of MS-13 in 2000."I joined to fit in - to be in something and to be somebody," Garcia said.
Defense lawyers questioned Garcia's motives for testifying and whether he was telling the truth. One of the lawyers suggested he was testifying because he faces a life sentence and hopes his cooperation will get him a lighter sentence."I just wanted to do the right thing," Garcia said. "I don't want to be a gang member."
Garcia also denied being the leader of the MS-13 gang."I was one of the guys a lot of people respected," he said. "The more people who know you, the more respect you gain."Another former MS-13 gang member, who authorities say helped them infiltrate the gang, took the stand Thursday afternoon. The 21-year-old informant videotaped gang meetings and drug buys, according to the FBI.The informant told jurors he's in the government's witness protection program.Asked by a prosecutor why he needs protection, he replied: "They'll kill me."

Hells Angels and Outlaws armed with knives, were involved in the "battle" at the airport.

Police have issued a picture of a man they are trying to trace in connection with a riot inside an airport terminal.Detectives from West Midlands Police are trying to find 46-year-old Joseph Lagrue to speak to him in connection with the disorder at Birmingham International Airport on January 20, 2008.In June last year seven members of two rival biker gangs were each jailed for six years for their part in the "terrifying" riot.
A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard how dozens of Hells Angels and Outlaws, some armed with knives, were involved in the "battle" at the airport.Neil Harrison, 46, Paul Arlett, 35, Mark Price, 50, Sean Timmins, 38, Leonard Hawthorne, 52, Mark Moseley, 46, and Jeremy Ball, 46, all from addresses across the West Midlands, were each jailed for six years by Judge Patrick Thomas in June after being previously convicted by a jury.Price, Harrison, Moseley and Ball were Outlaws, and Arlett, Timmins, and Hawthorne, were Hells Angels, the court heard.An eighth defendant, 47-year-old Mark Larner, of Tudor Road in Upper Gornal, West Midlands, fled to South Africa, but handed himself in in November and was jailed for six years.West Midlands Police said Joseph Lagrue was currently featured on the force's Most Wanted site.

Lawrence “Butch” Watson, a 23-year-old reputed street gangster, admitting to setting up the 25-year-old Williams

One of the co-defendents in the slaying of aspiring musician Carl Williams pleaded guilty on Monday to murder and robbery. Lawrence “Butch” Watson, a 23-year-old reputed street gangster, admitting to setting up the 25-year-old Williams by luring him to an apartment complex on June 23, where he was robbed and shot dead. Watson also admitted to a gunpoint robbery earlier in the same day at the Horizons Complex. In exchange for the plea, Watson's sentence will be capped at a minimum of 22 years to life in prison. Watson's attorney will be allowed, however, to argue for a range of 20 years to life.

shortage of guns in Britain is forcing rival gangsters to rent the same weapons

shortage of guns in Britain is forcing rival gangsters to rent the same weapons from middlemen who supply the bad guys, the Mirror reports."We are seeing the same guns being used over and over again," Detective Chief Superintendent Paul James, of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (Nabis), said. Officials credit a clamp-down on suppliers with putting fewer guns on the street, the Mirror reports.

Georgi Slavov has been admitted for emergency surgery at Plovdiv's University Hospital St George

Georgi Slavov has been admitted for emergency surgery at Plovdiv's University Hospital St George, according to media reports. The duty surgeon has announced that Slavov had suffered a mild skull trauma, but has not specified a reason for the injury.Three security guards are guarding Slavov's room in the neurosurgery ward of the hospital. Access even by his two lawyers has not been permitted.Eyewitnesses have stated that Georgi Slavov was admitted to hospital at 10 pm on Monday evening. According to initial reports, he became unwell while in the 2nd regional police station, where he was under detention.As reported earlier by Novinite.com, prosecutors in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv had laid charges against 26-year-old Georgi Slavov aka Zhoro Glavata ("The Head") and one of his guards, Plamen Ivanov, following a fracas at a night club on Saturday at around midnight.
The son of Stoil Slavov, once a leading member of the notorious SIC group, and who has himself assumed the role of gangster, has been charged with aggravated hooliganism. Bulgarian law allows for up to 5 years' imprisonment for this criminal charge.Moreover, the Plovdiv prosecutors ordered the measure for detention for both "The Head" and his guard to be extended to 72 hours.The incident had occurred when a dispute broke out between Georgi Slavov and his guards, and Vladimir Arabadzhiev, son of local hotelier Vetko Arabadzhiev. In the ensuing melee firearms were used.The incident, which occurred at the "Bedroom" nightclub, did not become serious, with no reports of injury. It has been alleged that the reason for the scandal was playmate Nikoleta Lozanova. She has stated that she had nothing to do with the fight.When questioned by police, Arabadzhiev and Slavov told radically different versions of the incident. Arabadzhiev claimed that he had left the disco before the fight broke out, and did not take part in it. He also said he did not know "The Head".Slavov himself, however, stated that Arabadzhiev, his guards and his friends had started the quarrel, as Vetko Arabadjiev's son had to do some "paying back" since the summer. According to him, the root cause of their conflict is precisely the girlfriend Nikoleta Lozanova, with whom they had both had a relationship, Plovdiv media have reported.

Glasgow firm Spyguard's general manager Gavin Scott, 64, and directors Paddy Dyer, 44, and Gary Fitzpatrick, 46, have all had their licences removed.

GANGLAND security firms are on the run after police chiefs started sharing secret files with industry watchdogs, we can reveal today.Strathclyde Police are handing over intelligence on rogue firms to the Security Industry Authority (SIA) - leading to dozens of people losing their licences because of underworld links.One company have already lost their SIA approved contractor status.One security source said: "The SIA have failed to clean up the industry partly because it hasn't got enough power."It's fantastic the police are now sharing what they know about these people. If that continues, it could make a real difference."Glasgow firm Spyguard's general manager Gavin Scott, 64, and directors Paddy Dyer, 44, and Gary Fitzpatrick, 46, have all had their licences removed.The SIA acted after police told them how the firm used intimidation to win contracts.Former Army sergeant and weapons instructor Scott unsucessfully appealed against losing his licence at Glasgow Sheriff Court.In a written judgement, Sheriff John Brown said: "Such information, in my view, entitles the SIA to take the action they have to suspend the licence in the public interest."Scott, from Yoker, Glasgow, said he had no idea if his employers were involved in organised crime.He added: "I'm being punished not for who I am but for who the police say I work for. Does anyone know who they work for? "I earn £300 a week as a supervisor. Does that sound like someone who is a bigtime crook? I was 22 years in the Gordon Highlanders. I have no criminal record yet am being treated like one."It seems everyone is being tarred with the same brush."
Others who have had their licences revoked include gangster Eli Webb, 44, who has walked free on five attempted murder charges.He lost his licence a week after the it was revealed he was linked to "roll wars" - in which bakery firms were targeted in a campaign of intimidation.An industry source said: "It's incredible that someone like Webb was even licensed in the first place."Barry Dempster - a 29-year-old tanning salon boss linked to Pegasus Security - has also lost his licence. He is the son of underworld figure Bobby 'The Devil' Dempster. Boss Stephen Palombo, 41, had won approved contractor status for his firm X714 by convincing the SIA they were legitimate.But X714 were stripped of the status because of their links to Willie Bennett, 50, an associate of the Daniel crime clan.Palombo, who also runs a drug-testing business for employers, was unavailable last night. A spokeswoman said: "He's out the country and X714 is no longer in business. I don't know the name Willie Bennett."The SIA also moved to end Motherwellbased Izon Security's approved contractor status over alleged links to drug dealer Thomas Allan, 50.But the firm successfully challenged the move at Hamilton Sheriff Court.A police source said: "We can now spell out in detail the connections between criminals in the background and the people fronting and running the firms."That allows the SIA to review the suitability of individual licence holders and any firms who have gained approved contractor status. There's a lot more to come."Those stripped of their licences are now barred by law from working in security.Lawyer Jim Kelly said he planned a second appeal on Scott's behalf.He added: "I believe that the police and the SIA are acting illegally in the way they target people they suspect are involved in crime."If people pass all the tests laid down by the SIA, then they should be allowed to hold a licence."

The SIA said: "We can suspend a licence if we think there is a risk to the public."

Salford gangster David Cullen, 29, lavished thousands of pounds on homes, cars and jewellery

armed robber was found to be living a life of luxury to rival Premier league footballers after he was caught carrying out a bank raid.Salford gangster David Cullen, 29, lavished thousands of pounds on homes, cars and jewellery for himself and his family, a police investigation discovered.Among the luxury items he bought during a three year spending spree were a £30,000 Franck Muller watch and a Harley Davidson 4x4 truck imported from the United States.He also shared his fortune with his mother, brothers and girlfriend, treating them to cars and foreign holidays, despite having no obvious source of income.But the high life came to an end when Cullen was caught carrying out a terrifying bank robbery in Preston in April 2006.
His gang, armed with a sledgehammer and two loaded guns, stole £136,000 from a Lloyds TSB branch but were arrested soon afterwards.Cullen is now serving ten years for his part in the robbery but police were suspicious about how he had funded his luxury lifestyle and launched a separate investigation into his finances.They found that in the the three years leading up to the Preston robbery Cullen splashed out:
A £40,000 deposit on a plush new semi in leafy Prestwich.£27,000 in cash to refurbish the house.£20,000 on a Harley Davidson 4x4 truck imported from the US.
A £30,000 Franck Muller watch.A £76,000 a holiday home in Florida.A fleet of cars, paying in cash for a £28,000 VW Toureg, a £6,000 Fiat Stilo (for his girlfriend), a £25,000 7 series BMW, a £21,000 Porsche 911 and also £8,000 on a Vauxhall Vectra.
A £3,000 insurance bill for the BMW was paid in full up frontExpensive holidays to Spain and Dubai for him and his girlfriend.An £80,000 deposit when he moved to a bigger house in Swinton.The spending spree began in 2003, shortly after Cullen was found not guilty of a £302,000 bank robbery in Bolton.Cullen, formerly of Heaton Street, Salford, has now pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy to defraud, effectively admitting that he funded his extravagant purchases from the proceeds of crime. He could be given an extended prison sentence on top of the ten years he is serving when he is sentenced in the next few weeks.His mother, girlfriend and two brothers will also be sentenced after they pleaded guilty to a string of offences.Cullen's girlfriend, Natasha Smyth, 27, of Harbourne Avenue, Worsley, admitted benefits fraud and money laundering.Cullen's older brother Anthony Cullen, a former footballer known as Tony, 36, of Myrtle Grove, Whitefield, worked as a loan shark as well as helping his brother hide and spend the dirty cash. He admitted housing benefit fraud, conspiracy to defraud and also operating as an unlicensed money lender.David Cullen's younger brother, joiner Arron Cullen, 27, of Rydal Grove, Prestwich, admitted money laundering by acting as a front through which David bought and sold the Prestwich and Swinton houses.David's mother, Bernadette Cullen, created a false identity to buy two homes she owned in Salford and Prestwich, and then used her real name to sponge off the state by claiming she was a tenant. She falsely claimed housing and council tax benefits worth around £23,000.
Bernadette Cullen, 55, of Heaton Street, Salford, admitted conspiracy to defraud, two charges of dishonestly making false statements and converting or concealing criminal property by buying and then selling a £76,000 holiday home in Florida with David's money.Det Sgt John Mulvihill said: "This has been a long and complex investigation into David Cullen and his family. The investigation has untangled criminality going back to the 1990's. David Cullen is a professional armed robber and his greed and extravagant lifestyle was the downfall for his family. Cullen's ability to live cash rich and his determination to remain invisible to the authorities led to the investigation into the wider family unit."Evidence revealed that not only did family members assist him with laundering the proceeds of his criminality but they also had criminal enterprises of their own."His mother's business was benefit fraud and his elder brother Anthony earned his crust through benefit fraud and loan sharking."Greater Manchester Police are committed to bringing to justice families that are willing to assist in the laundering of criminal property. This investigation uncovered the lengths that certain individuals will go to in order to conceal their proceeds of crime but it also showed the lengths that GMP will go to by working in partnership with local authorities to expose, pursue and prosecute those who are willing to enjoy the benefits of a lavish lifestyle financed by crime. This is what the public of Greater Manchester wants and expects."
In July, the M.E.N. reported how another Salford family was also hauled before the courts for enjoying the criminal earnings of robber Peter Anderson, who was in Cullen's gang which raided the Preston bank. Anderson's girlfriend Danielle Bardsley was given a suspended jail sentence for living the high life on her boyfriend's ill-gotten gains.

Metro Gang Strike Force

members of the Metro Gang Strike Force attended a six-day conference in Hawaii, using nearly $17,000 in forfeited money that had been seized by the Strike Force in the course of its work.That turned out to be the first of many exclusive stories that Furst reported this year examining questionable practices within the Gang Strike Force. His reporting ultimately contributed to the decision to shut the organization down.Furst reported, along with Lora Pabst, how officers seized $4,500 in cash from Dagoberto Rodriquez Cardona in 2008 when Cardona went to claim a car from an impound lot, without ever documenting that the money had been seized. Cardona later filed suit, illustrating that the cash was money he and three others had earned through work, not drugs.We learned, through Furst's reporting, that seizing cash, cars, TVs and other property without proper documentation had become common practice on the force, first to help fund the work during tough days, and occasionally to enhance the lifestyles of some police officers.Furst also broke the story, ahead of everyone else, that Strike Force commander Chris Omodt had closed the unit in late May after discovering that officers had been shredding documents prior to an investigation into Strike Force activities.Today, Furst and Paul McEnroe take you behind the scenes to explain the meltdown of this organization, one of the biggest failures of crime enforcement in recent Twin Cities history. Their exhaustive reporting shows how something that began as a successful, upstanding crime-fighting organization eventually went rogue.

“M62 Gang” - 4 females in their mid 30s to early 50s

criminal gang who stole over £300,000 of designer clothes, including £9,000 from Wigan stores are now behind bars, thanks to officers from the Wigan Business Crime Partnership. The “M62 Gang” - 4 females in their mid 30s to early 50s - have been operating across the North West shoplifting from high end designer womenswear stores, taking up to £5000 worth of clothes on each visit. A specialist officer, working with Wigan Council on behalf of Wigan’s Business Crime Partnership, was instrumental in securing the gang members’ arrests after undertaking surveillance in the town centre. That officer shared information about the gang’s activities in Wigan with colleagues across the region, which was crucial to the police arresting the four women in York last month. Cllr Kevin Anderson, the cabinet champion for safer communities, says: “This is an excellent result for the close teamwork of the Crime Partnership. Their work must remain confidential, but we can all be grateful that this gang has been stopped in its tracks, stealing from local shops who are working hard in the grip of a recession.” The specialist officer had been gathering evidence that the women had been coming to Wigan since August. Carol Ramsey, Lorraine Matthews and Collette and Debbie Ryan had been in town for six days a week, systematically targeting some of the top retail names in the town centre.
The four women were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last week, with Carol Ramsey and Lorraine Matthews each receiving 14 months. Collette Ryan was jailed for 10 months and Debbie Ryan for 6 months. The Crime Partnership was set up in 2001 in Wigan. It works to co-ordinate intelligence about criminal activities between Wigan’s day time and evening economies, Robin Retail Park and Ashton town centre, linking in with the council’s CCTV network. Images of known offenders are circulated amongst members as part of the group’s intelligence gathering operations. Violent crime in Wigan town centre reduced by 31 per cent last year and the team have won a number of industry awards.Cllr Anderson adds that the partnership wasn’t created because of any increase in crime. “Wigan remains to be one of the safest places to live, work and visit in Greater Manchester,” he says. “By maintaining and improving the standards of crime reduction, we can ensure even better and safer environment for businesses, residents and visitors.”

Martin Hamilton attempt was made to gouge a man's eye out with a spoon and Hamilton also tried to cut a man's finger off with a knife.

Martin Hamilton is preparing for early release after nine years of a life sentence.

And a source told the Sunday Mail: "There will be a few people dreading the day he walks out of prison a free man."

Hamilton was flanked by two guards as he called on his mother for tea and biscuits on a home visit from Shotts Prison.

He watched l ive coverage of the UK Snooker Championship at the old lady's Glasgow flat on Thursday before emerging at 3.15pm.

He was then driven back to Kerr House, a low-supervision wing at Shotts.

Ultra-violent Hamilton was jailed for life in 2000 for a catalogue of offences , including abduction, torture and drug-dealing.

He was ordered to serve at least nine years before he could apply for parole.

But the 49-year-old heroin baron and bank robber is now confident he'll be out soon after he was granted the right to enjoy two-hour home visits.Our source told us: "Hammy can't wait to get out of prison."He's been inside for a long time now and knows each day is a day closer to freedom."All he has to do is keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble."The home visits are the start of the process for Hammy and he chooses to go and visit his mum."She's getting on, and Hammy going to visit her is easier than her having to make the journey to Shotts."Hamilton was the most notorious gangland figure in Scotland during a reign of terror which lasted almost 20 years.Before justice finally caught up with him, he walked free from TWELVE High Court indictments for crimes, including possession of firearms, a shooting, serious assault and robbery.Cases against him fell apart after witnesses were too afraid to give evidence against him, and preferred to be jailed for contempt of court instead.
But Hamilton was finally sent down at the High Court in Inverness - as armed police guarded every exit in the court building.Terrified witnesses were put in pol ice protection schemes and a news blackout on the trial was imposed.
Hamilton, of Anderston, Glasgow, was convicted of ordering the kidnap and torture of victims from the Edinburgh drug scene.Detectives say he was trying to take control of the capital's drug trade. Local dealers d ived for cover when he based himself in the capital 's Broomhouse area.Hamilton was found guilty of 14 charges, including several torture offences. Victims were set on fire, scalded with boiling water or stabbed in the face.In one horrific incident, a young couple were ordered to be stabbed in a bath so they wouldn't bleed all over the carpet of the flat where they were being held hostage.An attempt was made to gouge a man's eye out with a spoon and Hamilton also tried to cut a man's finger offwith a knife.Hamilton was also convicted of being concerned in the supply of heroin and diazepam, threatening a man with violence and holding a knife to another man's throat and threatening to kill him.He was acquitted over the abduction of two men and offering them money for sex.Passing sentence, Lord Kingarth said: "You showed yourself capable of taking sadistic pleasure in the infliction of pain and the inspiration of real terror over long periods.
"You pose a substantial danger to the public."Hamilton's co-accused, David Henderson, was jailed for six years.A third accused, Martin Byrne, 28, who gave evidence against Hamilton, admitted stabbing the teenage girl and boy in the face and was jailed for just three years.Hamilton had already served a nine -year sentence for trying to rob the Dunferml ine Bui lding Society in Anniesland, Glasgow in 1992.And in 1990, he abducted notorious gangster Paul Ferris off the street.
He bundled Ferris into a car on the orders of crime lord Arthur Thompson Snr, but released him when Thompson had a change of heart.Our source said: "Police were popping champagne when Hammy was sent down. They'd waited years to see him put away.
"Now they'll be wondering if they'll have to do it all over again when he gets out."

sentenced Jamal Shakir of the Rollin' 90s Crips for his role in arranging drug deals and killings

sentenced Jamal Shakir of the Rollin' 90s Crips for his role in arranging drug deals and killings, and executing power over a gang enterprise authorities say stretched from Los Angeles to Nashville.On Monday, the 34-year-old Shakir wore a yellow prison jump suit and was shackled at the wrists and ankles. Several U.S. Marshals guarded him in the courtroom.Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy told the judge that officials found a handwritten note in Shakir's cell Monday morning with instructions on how to get out of handcuffs. Koshy said authorities have found letters Shakir wrote in the past few months calling for people to be killed and urging fire bombings.Several family members of the victims testified Monday about losing their loved ones. Thea Gibson said her daughter, Shannon, who was killed in 1996, will never know the joy of raising her two children — now 17 and 21.
"You left my grandchildren without a mother," Gibson said. "You are the punk that you are. I want the maximum for what my family has gone through and others because of his manipulative enterprise."Shakir then interrupted the witness to tell the judge he didn't want to be there."Excuse me your honor, but I shouldn't have to hear this again," Shakir said of the testimony, which was also given at his trial earlier this year. "I've heard it hundreds of times."When Nixon told Shakir he needed to listen, Shakir threatened to keep interrupting, but made only one more comment, saying, "You don't know me."Loretta Johnson spoke somberly of losing her youngest daughter, Regina, also in 1996. According to trial testimony, Regina was shot to death in her bed and her decomposed body was discovered about 10 days later. Her 3-year-old daughter was shot in both elbows and survived by drinking toilet water, prosecutors said.Johnson said that little girl, now 16, still has occasional nightmares but has managed to get on with her life."She's the miracle in our family," Johnson said.James Pilcher, the father of a Crip gang member whose killing was ordered in 1997, said he's become an ordained minister since the death of his son, Woody. Pilcher said he's asked God to forgive Shakir's sins, but he often reflects on the life his son could have had.
"Woody got the death penalty, and I got the possibility of life without parole," Pilcher said. "I have to go through this every day of my life."
Before the sentencing, Nixon gave Shakir an opportunity to speak, and he painted himself as the victim of "political aspirations" by Koshy, the lead prosecutor.
"If everybody say they're looking for justice, I say they're looking in the wrong place," Shakir said.Koshy responded that Shakir was once again being manipulative and that "nothing the defendant says can take ... away from what he did."

"This defendant is evil," Koshy said.

Koshy said the Federal Bureau of Prisons will decide where Shakir will be housed.
In October, a federal grand jury indicted two people on charges they plotted to steal a helicopter to help Shakir escape.Prosecutors claim the two conspired between June and September to find a helicopter, direct street gang members to restrain the aircraft's owner and then take it

Bloods street gang accused of a gang-hit slaying

One of three alleged members of the Bloods street gang accused of a gang-hit slaying was brought to Lackawanna County Court on Monday under heavy security to enter a guilty plea to first-degree murder.The deal fell apart after Jeffery Future asked for more time to review hundreds of pages of documents investigators had compiled against him.Though Mr. Future had agreed to plead guilty, he told Judge Carmen Minora, through his attorney, he first wants to review the 600 to 700 pages of documents police have assembled in their investigation into the death of Allen Fernandez, another Bloods member, whose body was found July 30, shot 12 times with several different weapons on Snake Road in Ransom Twp.First Assistant District Attorney Gene Talerico said after the aborted court hearing that Mr. Future "indicated he wanted additional time to contemplate his decision to enter a plea to first-degree murder, to honor the agreement he made with the commonwealth."
Beside asking for more time, Mr. Future's attorney, James Elliott, said he wants investigators to stop reading Mr. Future's mail. Mr. Talerico said the court has already ruled on the issue."We filed a motion with the court and the motion was granted," Mr. Talerico said.Judge Carmen Minora said he would allow Mr. Future and Mr. Elliott "six or seven weeks" to review the documents.Outside the courtroom, Mr. Elliott said he only received the documents last week through a process called "discovery." He also said Judge Minora said he would rule on the request about the mail after Mr. Elliott files a motion.Mr. Future, 25, was arrested along with Christian Kenyon, 17, and Tonie Future, 18, who were students at West Scranton High School. According to court documents, the Future brothers said they were ordered to kill Mr. Fernandez because he was disloyal within subsets of the Bloods street gang. Police say all three suspects allegedly shot Mr. Fernandez. The gang member who allegedly ordered the execution-style murder has not been identified.Before sending Mr. Future back to prison, Judge Minora gave him a warning about any possible future delays in courtroom proceedings.
"I won't let you run the show here," Judge Minora said. "I will be reasonable, to a point."If Mr. Future still has not decided whether he wants to enter a guilty plea, Judge Minora said, "Then I will set a trial date."By pleading guilty to first-degree murder and not going to trial, Mr. Future would escape a possible death sentence, which a jury could impose if it found him guilty of first-degree murder, Mr. Talerico said.

Anh-Tuan Dao Pham, 19,has been sentenced to prison for 39 years to the rest of his life for shooting and killing a 17-year-old youth

Sacramento gang member has been sentenced to prison for 39 years to the rest of his life for shooting and killing a 17-year-old youth who was walking along the street near the Wildhawk Golf Club almost three years ago.Anh-Tuan Dao Pham, 19, received the term Thursday from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy W. Frawley for the Feb. 22, 2007, shooting murder of Dominique Hickman, 17.Pham's term also includes time on an additional attempted murder conviction for shooting and wounding two people in the unincorporated south area less than an hour after he killed Hickman.

Notorious French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, serving time in a Kathmandu prison for the murder of two western holidaymakers, could be out of jail

Notorious French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, serving time in a Kathmandu prison for the murder of two western holidaymakers, could be out of jail in February, his lawyer said.Sobhraj was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of two backpackers — Canadian Laurent Ormond Carriere, 26, and Connie Bronzich, 29, of California, United States — in the Himalayan state in 1975.“Prosecutors don’t have a single (piece of) evidence against Charles to show that he entered Nepal to kill. For the past 30 years, they are trying to establish evidence. Now his only charge is about false passport.“We have a very strong case and, sure, he will be freed by February next year,” Shakuntala Thapa, one of Sobhraj’s lawyers, told Bernama in a telephone interview from Kathmandu.

Nicknamed the “bikini killer”, the flamboyant globe-trotting Frenchman, who often preyed on young western tourists touring Southeast Asian capitals, allegedly committed at least 12 murders between 1972 and 1976.

But investigators across the world believe numerous other murders have gone unreported.
After a string of arrests and escapes from high-security prisons from Bangkok to Kabul for alleged crimes — from possessing fake passports, drug dealings, gemstones smuggling to murders — Sobhraj was finally arrested in New Delhi in July 1976 for drugging French tourists and robbing jewellery from a hotel.In 1986, he escaped from India’s Tihar prison by drugging the prison guards but was rearrested by Indian police months later, and he stayed behind bars until 1997.
After his release, Sobhraj returned to France and suddenly emerged in Kathmandu in 2004, where he was arrested while holidaying.The 65-year-old Sobhraj was born Gurmukh Sobhraj to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother and became a French citizen after his mother remarried, to a French national.Last year, while in prison, he married 20-year-old Nihita Biswas, his interpreter and the daughter of his lawyer Shakuntala, in a simple Nepali ceremony.Sobhraj has also earned another nickname, “the serpent”, for his tact in deceiving authorities and staging daring prison breakouts.

Mike Tyson allegedly hit a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport

Mike Tyson allegedly hit a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport and was detained on suspicion of battery Wednesday, police said.The paparazzo told police that the former heavyweight boxing champion struck him once, airport police spokesman Sgt. Jim Holcomb said. The photographer fell to the ground and was treated for a cut to his forehead at a hospital.Tyson's spokeswoman Tammy Brook said the boxer was traveling with his wife and 10-month-old child Wednesday afternoon when he was attacked by an overly aggressive paparazzo. He acted in self-defense to protect his child, she said.Tyson and the unnamed photographer both want to press charges for misdemeanor battery, police said."There's a lot of different versions to this story and that's all going to come out later," Holcomb said. "Some witness statements support Tyson's version, others support the photographer's."Paparazzi often camp out at Los Angeles' largest airport to get shots of celebrities in transit.Tyson was cooperative as he waited in a holding cell at the airport police station, Holcomb said. He will be booked and released later. The photographer will also be booked once he is released from the hospital, police said.Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever in 1986 when he won his title as a 20-year-old. But his life since then has been marred by accusations of domestic violence, rape and cocaine use.Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992, serving three years in prison. He was disqualified from a 1997 heavyweight title fight when he bit off part of Evander Holyfield's right ear, and in 1999 he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland.In 2003, Tyson filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. He served 24 hours in an Arizona jail in 2007 after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and driving under the influence.