Don Templeton found guilty of attempted murder of car dealer

Don Templeton was involved in the shooting of James McGurk, 45, at Crosslee Poultry Farm, in Bridge of Weir.

The 40-year-old was the getaway driver, while convicted murderer John Docherty, 49, fired the weapon.

Mr McGurk was blasted from behind during the attack on October 31, 2017, but he told jurors his next memory was waking up on a kitchen floor, covered in blood.

Templeton was today convicted of attempted murder following a re-trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He had previously been found guilty of the charge in April 2019 and sentenced to eight years.

But prosecutor Kath Harper said the verdict was later quashed by appeal judges following a "legal matter" and Templeton was freed after eight months in prison.

Crosslee Poultry Farm

Templeton was on bail for this latest trial but is now behind bars again after being remanded in custody, with sentencing adjourned until next month.

Mr McGurk told the 2019 case he had been working on a car on the day of the shooting and didn't know who carried out the attack.

He said at the time: "I cannot remember much. It is all a blur to me. I got shot from behind.

“I heard a bang and I was propelled forward.”

CCTV footage showed the injured victim, struck on the right buttock with shotgun pellets, staggering to a nearby farmhouse for help.

Asked about Templeton at the retrial, Mr McGurk stated: "We have always been pals."

Jurors heard the pair made attempts to contact each other 10 times on the day before the murder bid.

Miss Harper asked the victim: "What were the frantic calls about?"

Mr McGurk replied: "About a car or something like that."

Miss Harper then asked: "Was there a dispute with Don?"

Mr McGurk replied: "No, we got on alright. I would not say we were at each other's throats. We have only been pals."

Docherty and Templeton were caught on CCTV at a filling station just minutes before their distinctive Mercedes estate was again clocked driving into the farm and then speeding away.

Templeton shook his head in court today as the verdict was returned.

Judge Alistair Watson told him: "It is inevitable that you will face a significant sentence once more."

Docherty, who murdered a pensioner in 1995 and was out on licence at the time of the attack on Mr McGurk, was jailed for 12 years in 2019 for his role in the shooting.