Man accused of killing Scots gang members in Spain fears reprisals

An alleged hitman accused of murdering two Scottish crime gang members fears he may face reprisals if he ends up in a Spanish prison, a court has heard.

Michael Riley is charged with the murders of Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr at Monaghans Bar in Fuengirola, on the Costa del Sol, on 31 May.

Mr Riley, 44, was arrested by Merseyside police in June under an international arrest warrant issued by the Spanish authorities.

The victims were connected to the Lyons family, which has been involved in a bloody feud with the rival Daniel crime clan that has raged for 25 years.

Lyons Jnr, 46, and Monaghan, 43, were watching the Champions League final with friends when they were fatally wounded in the beachfront bar.

Lyons Jnr died after he was hit by a single bullet outside the bar.

CCTV showed the gunman pursuing Monaghan inside the pub before shooting him dead.

Mr Riley, of Huyton, Liverpool, did not appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday for the brief “call over” ahead of his full extradition hearing later this year.

Renata Pinter, defending, said she would advance submissions on behalf of her client based on Article 3 of the Human Rights Act, which “prohibits everyone from being subjected to torture, or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

She said Mr Riley “suffers from depression and anxiety” and would be in “fear of his life from other gang members” if detained in a Spanish prison.

Malaga-based Spanish police chief Pedro Agudo Novo previously described Mr Riley as a member of the Glasgow-based Daniel gang, which has been involved in a long-running feud with the Lyons group since 2001.

Ms Pinter said a psychiatric report and a report into prison conditions in Spain would be provided ahead of his extradition hearing in November.

She added it would be provided by an expert in criminology and prisons in Spain and should be available from Thursday.

District Judge John Zani said Mr Riley would remain in custody ahead of his next call over hearing on 3 October.

His full extradition hearing is fixed for 20 November.