Wick man's abductors sentenced

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Northern Constabulary detective pays tribute to international investigation team

NORTHERN Constabulary has commented on the Portugal court verdict in the case of the kidnap and attempted murder of James Ross from Wick.
One of the gang, Steven Johnson was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment (the maximum penalty under Portuguese Law), Calum Macleod was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, William Quinn was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, Terrance McGurk was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment and Ronnie Rose was sentenced to 2 and a half years imprisonment. The court heard earlier, of threats, allegedly made by the leader of a gang to murder Wick man James Ross.
Johnson (49) and four co-accused were accused of abducting 28-year-old Mr Ross and torturing him over a drug debt.
The court heard evidence from police inspector, Felicio Pedro, who set up a wiretap on Johnston’s phone at his home, known as Big Trouble, in the Montijo area of Portugal. Mr Pedro said he heard Johnson push the other men to “rush things because I have the police on me” and “make him swim with the fishes” which, he said, indicated intent to kill Mr Ross.
The prosecution claims that Mr Ross, of Gunn’s Terrace, Wick, was lured to Alvarve, in October 2010, with the promise of a job growing cannabis, to pay off a £10,000 debt but was abducted from Faro airport on his arrival. It was alleged he had an ear, fingers and toes cut off, a testicle severed and tendons slashed, at a remote village in the holiday region of the Algarve during his captivity.
Commenting on the case, Northern Constabulary's Detective Superintendent Kenny Anderson said: "We welcome the verdict in Portugal today and believe the sentence handed down reflects the severity of this crime. This was a protracted investigation which resulted in Mr Ross fortunately being found alive after a sustained ordeal. This case highlights that organised crime groups operate throughout the country, including rural communities. This should serve as a warning to anyone who may think about becoming involved in this type crime."
He added: "I would like to pay tribute to the dedicated officers within the Force and the Portuguese Police who worked tirelessly over a 13 day period to recover Mr Ross alive. This was a significant inquiry which saw a large number of officers deployed both here and in Portugal during the investigation. This was an organised crime group which was involved in large scale drug trafficking. Two plantations with an annual estimated crop value of £3million was recovered during the operation."