RUSSELL FINDLAY was the victim of a horrific acid attack two days before Christmas in 2015 – witnessed by his ten-year-old daughter.
Hitman William Burns had disguised himself as a postman for the attack on Mr Findlay at his Glasgowhome, thought to have been ordered by gangland bosses.
A jury heard how the new Tory leader answered his door 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, Burns flung acid in his face.
Mr Findlay wrestled Burns out of the house, held onto him and yelled for help.
His daughter ran for help from a neighbour and her dad pinned the attacker down.
A knife was later found in the doorway by police, along with a set of broken dentures nearby.
Burns was sentenced in 2017 after a trial for the acid attack and jailed for ten years for assault to the danger of life.
After the court case, police said he was a “career criminal” with “links to serious organised crime in Glasgow“.
At the time of the acid attack , Burns was on early release after being given a 15-year term in 2001 for shooting a woman during a post office robbery in Linwood, Renfrewshire.
And in 1996, Burns was locked up for six years for threatening a security guard with a gun after the man challenged him for stealing a cake from Marks & Spencer in Paisley.
He also has previous convictions for assault, firearms and carrying offensive weapons.
In July 1994, Burns was cleared of the murder of 23-year-old Raymond McCafferty, of Carnwadric, Glasgow.
The victim was shot dead in a carpark, but Burns and a co-defendant both blamed another man for the shooting
After Burns was sentenced in 2017 for the acid attack, police said he was a “career criminal” with “links to serious organised crime in Glasgow”.
Burns’s co-accused Alexander Porter, then 48, faced the same charge over the attack on Mr Findlay and was said to be a getaway driver – had a not proven verdict returned.
HOW THE VOTING WENT
Voting among the Scottish Conservative members closed on Thursday with the count announced at 10am on Friday.
- Total number of electors 6941
- Turnout 60%
- Valid votes cast 4155
- Russell Findlay 2565 votes
- Murdo Fraser 1187
- Meghan Gallacher 403
Burns has had several parole hearings, but the parole board has not yet reached a conclusion on his release.
In July, Mr Findlay was told of a new threat to his life, which may be connected to the possible imminent release of Burns.
In 2018, he wrote a book – Acid Attack – about his ordeal and flaws in the justice system.
He has previously penned non-fiction books including “The Iceman: The Rise and Fall of a Crime Lord” – about notorious west of Scotland gangland figure Jamie Stevenson.
EXPERT ANALYSIS
By Chris Musson, Associate Editor
RUSSELL Findlay is no stranger to the sharp end of life – and should expect lots more of it as Scottish Conservative leader.
The 51-year-old dad made his name as a crime journalist reporting on Scotland’s ruthless gangland underworld, and rooting out instances where power corrupts.
Infamously, Mr Findlay was the victim of an acid attack on the doorstep of his Glasgow home in 2015 – ordered, it would appear, by those whose lawbreaking he had reported on.
His switch to politics after 27 years in journalism – initially as a Scottish Tory spin doctor in 2020 – surprised many in media circles, and many of his friends.
He has also been vetted as a potential candidate around the same time, and at the Holyrood election in 2021 he found himself as the first elected for the Conservatives on the West of Scotland regional list, due to his popularity among members.
Mr Findlay hadn’t shown much of an interest in politics in his reporting days – his focus was crime and the justice system.
His intricate knowledge of these subjects and his frank style – he was not, and still isn’t, a polished politician – made him a good fit to be a party justice spokesman.
Mr Findlay, now 51, from Glasgow, wasn’t on the frontbench to start with. His rise to being the “chosen one”, as some insiders say, over the past two years has come at a time when the party has appeared to run out of steam.
He was undoubtedly identified by party stalwarts – ex leader Ruth Davidson among them – as someone with bags of promise.
But when it became clear that Douglas Ross’s time as boss was limited – dogged by infighting and briefing – he began to be talked about as the next leader.
He emerged as favourite almost immediately, sparking resentment from some fellow MSPs – the party old guard, including as Murdo Fraser, who ran against him.
Bringing his MSP group back together may be tough after a leadership race characterised by backbiting.
However, Mr Findlay is not someone to dodge a challenge, according to those who know him.
And he certainly has one. All eyes are on the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections and dragging the Tories out of the mire.
They won 31 MPs in 2021, in what was seen as a very good showing for Mr Ross. Their 2021 election vote share was 21.9 per cent for Holyrood’s constituency vote, and 23.5 per cent for the regional list vote.
Polls now suggest the Scottish Tories are at 12 to 13 per cent for constituency votes, and 12 to 14 per cent for the regional vote.
Mr Findlay may be hard to faze. He’s seen a lot in time. But he has a cliff to climb and will need all his resolve – and probably some luck – if he is to dig the Scottish Tories out of the hole they are in