A NOTORIOUS Paisley criminal has been convicted of an acid attack on a journalist.

William 'Basil' Burns attacked Russell Findlay on the doorstep of his home in Glasgow's West End in December 2015.

Disguised as a postman, Burns hurled sulphuric acid into his victim's face.

The 56-year-old hitman had denied being the culprit during a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He insisted he had only went to the address to "beat up" Mr Findlay.

Burns claimed the journalist had told him he had a compromising photo of him with a young blonde woman that he was prepared to show to his wife.

He went on to state that Mr Findlay, who has also written books on gangland crime, must have thrown the acid on his own face.

But a jury today found Burns guilty of assaulting his victim to the danger of his life.

His extensive criminal record was then revealed to the court. In 2001, Burns was jailed for 15 years for brutally gunning down a woman during a post office robbery in Linwood.

Earlier, in 1996, he was handed a six-year prison sentence for threatening a security guard with a gun after he stole a cake from a Marks and Spencer store in Paisley town centre.

He also has previous convictions for assault, firearms offences and carrying offensive weapons.

Burns had been freed early from his 15-year jail term when he attacked Mr Findlay.

The sentence had been due to expire in July 2016 – months after he struck in this latest crime.

Burns, who showed no emotion at the verdict, was remanded in custody today, pending sentencing next month.

Co-accused Alexander Porter, 48, who faced the same charge and was said to be the getaway driver, had a not proven verdict returned.

A jury heard how Mr Findlay, 44, answered his door at around 8.30am on December 23, 2015, and was told he had a parcel to sign for.

He was handed a card to sign but, as he did so, acid was thrown in his face.

Mr Findlay told the court: "I felt liquid on my face. Something very wrong had happened. He came at me in the hall. I knew I was being attacked."

He wrestled Burns out of the house, held onto him and yelled for help.

Mr Findlay had originally given evidence in January this year but that trial had to be abandoned.

He told the earlier hearing that his young daughter had also been in the house and she was “very scared”.

She raced to a neighbour's house to get help while her dad gripped hold of his attacker.

Mr Findlay told the first trial: “At one point, I said “Why did they send a fat clown like you as a hitman? Is this all I am worth?"

A knife was found in the doorway, along with a set of broken dentures nearby.

Mr Findlay was asked who they belonged to and replied: “They are my assailant's false teeth.”

The victim's daughter recalled how her dad had been “screaming for help” and that his “face was really sore”.

An eye specialist told the latest trial that buckets of water thrown over Mr Findlay's face shortly after the attack had diluted the effects of the acid.

Burns admitted in evidence that he went to Mr Findlay's home but denied going armed with a knife and a glass jar filled with acid.

Prosecutor Richard Goddard described Burns' evidence as "improbable, bizarre and absurd."

Burns and Mr Porter, also of Paisley, were further accused of attempting to murder gangland figure Ross Sherlock near St Helen's Primary School, in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, in September 2015.

But they were cleared after judge Lord Matthews ruled there was “insufficient evidence”.

Mr Sherlock had been shot at three times with a handgun by a man wearing a fluorescent jacket.

Detective Sergeant Craig Warren, who led the investigation, said today:

"This was an utterly terrifying experience for Russell Findlay, who was attacked with sulphuric acid on the steps of his own home, just a few days before Christmas 2015.

"It was made worse by the fact that his young daughter was present, who was clearly very scared but was able to alert nearby neighbours for help. T

"Thankfully, Mr Findlay did not sustain any permanent effects following his ordeal however the outcome could have been much more serious.

"William Burns is a career criminal and he does not care about anyone other than himself and his activities.

"He has been known to have links to serious organised crime in Glasgow.

"This was a vicious assault which took place in broad daylight, and shows the sheer contempt he had for Mr Findlay and his young daughter."