Gangland thug who plotted hit on Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel caught with illicit mobile again
28.06.2023 - 10:39
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A gangland thug who plotted to murder rival yobs, including Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, has been caught with an illicit mobile phone behind bars for a second time. John Hardie, 40, was jailed for 20 years for the plot, which saw a gang of six men carry out a string of savage attacks across Glasgow.
Bonzo, 43, was chased in a 100mph car chase before his motor was rammed and he was viciously attacked with a machete, leaving him scarred for life. Hardie, who is being held at HMP Shotts, Lanarkshire, was caught with an iPhone stashed in the toilet area of his cell during a routine search.
His lawyer claimed it was to keep in contact with his children and his terminally ill mother when Covid restrictions were still in place. Hardie appeared amid tight security at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted possessing the iPhone in February last year.
He was handed a six-month term by Sheriff Thomas Millar but told it would run alongside his current 20 year sentence for the murder plot. The court was told his earliest release date is in 2037 and he will be able to apply for parole in 2027. An allegation Hardie was also in possession of class B cannabinol derivatives was dropped by prosecutors.
Depute fiscal Miriam Farooq said: "Prison officers attended the accused's cell in order to carry out a routine search. The accused was present and compliant with the search. An iPhone was recovered in the cell toilet area."
Linda Findlay, defending, said: "He is currently serving a significant sentence. There were still some Covid restrictions ongoing and he had family commitments with his three children and his mother who was terminally ill."
The lawyer told the court Hardie had not been granted 'home release' to visit his mother before she died and that