The website of record.

Cleared Ice Cream Wars accused Thomas ‘TC’ Campbell dies

1,537
Thomas TC Campbell
Image caption Thomas Campbell leaves the Court of Session in Edinburgh after having his conviction quashed on March 17, 2004

Thomas ‘TC’ Campbell, one of the two men wrongly convicted of Glasgow’s so-called Ice Cream Wars murders, has died at his home aged 66.

Mr Campbell and Joe Steele were convicted of murdering six members of the Doyle family at their flat in 1984.

The men had two appeals rejected before finally having their convictions quashed in 2004.

Mr Campbell, who staged several hunger strikes while in prison, is believed to have died of natural causes.

‘Pursuit of justice’

Paying tribute to Mr Campbell, his lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “He was a giant of a man who, despite being imprisoned, refused to give up, fighting the judiciary and a corrupt police force.

“For Tommy, his struggle was so much more than just about him, it was about the pursuit of justice for the Doyle family.

“I hope now that TC is truly free and can be at peace.

“What makes me sad is that this man who had his life taken from him never received the recognition and apology he deserved.”

Mr Campbell and Mr Steele battled for 20 years to prove their innocence.

Image caption Thomas Campbell continued to campaign for justice after his release

Their original trial was told that a fire was started at the Doyle family home in Ruchazie after a turf war over areas served by ice cream vans.

The deaths of six members of the family, including an 18-month old child, horrified people in Glasgow and across Scotland.

At the conclusion of the trial, Mr Campbell and Mr Steele were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The pair continued to protest their innocence, claiming the police had fabricated evidence, but an appeal was turned down in 1985.

Prison escapes

During their years in jail, both men continued a high-profile campaign.

Mr Campbell was said to have been close to death on several occasions after staging hunger strikes, while Mr Steele escaped from jail three times only to deliberately draw attention to himself.

He once handcuffed and glued himself to the railings of Buckingham Palace.

More than a decade of pressure resulted in the case being referred to the Court of Appeal in 1996.

Once more, their case was rejected before a third and final appeal was eventually successful.

The appeal judges accepted that there had been a miscarriage of justice in what was one of the most high-profile cases in Scottish criminal history.

Content provided by the BBC. Original piece can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-48770579

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.