Cleared Ice Cream Wars accused Thomas 'TC' Campbell dies Published duration 26 June 2019

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 which were used as a front for drug-dealing.

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.

What were the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars?

image caption The Doyle family were targeted at their flat in the east end of Glasgow

Much of the ice cream van trade in Glasgow in the 1980s was considered a front for the sale of drugs and stolen goods.

When 18-year-old van driver Andrew Doyle refused to bow to intimidation, he and his family were targeted.

In February 1984, shots were fired through the windscreen of his vehicle.

Then, six weeks later, someone entered the stairwell near his family's top floor flat in Ruchazie, soaked some bed linen in petrol and set it alight.

Of the nine people sleeping inside, only three escaped.

No-one apart from Thomas Campbell and Joe Steele has ever been arrested for the murders of the Doyle family.

However, there have been claims that a gangland figure confessed to the killings on his deathbed.

image caption The Doyle family home was engulfed in flames

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.

Related Topics Glasgow