Drugs, Arson, and Murder: The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars
Glasgow is full of character, charisma, and colour. Cobbled roads meander through Victorian-era buildings and sleek, glass office towers that stand together at odds under one grey sky. The city itself is as unique, diverse, and distinctively Glaswegian as the people who walk its streets.
Scotland’s most populous city has changed tremendously over the years, but its image has been plagued by a history of violence murkier and muddier than the river that runs through it. From the razor gangs of the 1920s and 1930s to the young teams of more recent times, Glasgow is no stranger to gang violence.
In the 1980s, heavy industries were collapsing in Glasgow, resulting in mass unemployment and unrest. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and Scots were struggling and suffering under Westminster’s governance.
Amidst all of this, something else was going in the city. A turf war was being waged — a turf war that involved drugs, arson, murder, and ice cream.
HOW THE GLASGOW ICE CREAM WARS BEGAN
In an effort to improve Glasgow’s crumbling housing situation, the city began restoring previously neglected tenements and building housing schemes on its outskirts. Many of the housing schemes — which were often home to lower-income families — didn’t offer easy access to shops or supermarkets.
Ice cream vans in these areas saw an opportunity to fill a niche and started selling household items such as toilet roll and pantry staples. Soon, certain van companies were pedalling cigarettes, drugs, and stolen property too: a lucrative business should they be able to operate unrivalled. But where there’s turf to be claimed, there’s turf to be defended.
As the illegal activities escalated and the stakes rose, gang members began using rocks, baseball bats, knives, axes, and guns to defend their territory from rival van companies encroaching upon it. Threats turned into broken windshields, broken windshields turned into violent street fights, and in 1984, it all culminated in an act of arson that would end the lives of six people.
ARSON IN THE EAST END
Andrew Doyle was an eighteen-year-old ice cream van driver who allegedly worked for the Marchetti firm. He’d previously refused to be intimidated into selling drugs on his route which, in February 1984, resulted in his van being shot at in what was known as a “frightener,” or scare tactic. Andrew didn’t back down, and another “frightener” was plotted against him.
In the early hours of 16th April 1984, someone drenched the landing of Andrew’s family’s top-floor flat with petrol and set it on fire. There were nine people in the Ruchazie flat that evening as the family had visitors: only three made it out alive.
Andrew, three of his siblings, his father, and his eighteen-month-old nephew all perished in the blaze.
PUBLIC PRESSURE AND THE ENSUING TRIAL
Concern about the ongoing turf wars had been mounting for some time in Glasgow and after the deadly fire, it came to a head. Strathclyde Police’s Serious Crime Squad — which earned the nickname “Serious Chimes Squad,” for its perceived inadequacy in handling the Ice Cream Wars — immediately launched an investigation.
In August 1984, seven men appeared in court in connection to the Doyle family’s case. Four of them were charged with the murders and the other three were indicted on less serious charges. In a trial that captured the attention of the nation, two men were eventually convicted of the murders: Thomas Campbell and Joe Steele.
It was alleged that Thomas had a history of violence and acted as an enforcer, with Joe as his sidekick. Both men claimed to have alibis and insisted they were innocent. Thomas went on several hunger strikes that seriously compromised his health and Joe escaped from prison three times; in a bid to draw attention to his case, he once superglued himself to the railings of Buckingham Palace.
The men began lodging appeals and in 1996, they were released on bail after a police informant who testified to hearing the pair admit responsibility for the fire revealed he’d lied under oath. There was no forensic evidence to implicate the men and aside from the informant’s statement (which, of course, turned out to be false), the only other meaningful item presented was a map found in the flat with an “x” marking its location.
After two failed appeals, Thomas and Joe’s convictions were overturned in 2004 after the Court of Appeal ruled they’d been wrongly convicted.
WHO REALLY KILLED THE DOYLE FAMILY?
In the streets of Glasgow, rumours swirled and speculation simmered. Some believed the true killers had been freed, while others had different theories.
In 2010, reports circulated that a gang member and convicted murderer named Gary Moore had made a deathbed confession to the killings. But in 2012, his widow told the media Gary had been covering for his cousin, Gordon Ness, who passed away that year. Gary’s widow believes Gordon killed himself because he was living in fear after Gary was no longer around to protect him. Joe Steele said of Gary:
“Gary’s no angel but he never admitted to anyone he done the Doyle family. He never admitted to fuck all in his life.”
Thomas Campbell died of natural causes at his home in June 2019. The author of a book about the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars believes Thomas was innocent, commenting:
“My gut tells me that he had nothing to do with the fire and until someone brings me conclusive evidence that he was, that’s the way it’ll stay.”
In an interview after Thomas’ death, Joe claimed Tam McGraw (an infamous crime lord who died in 2007) had ordered the hit on the Doyle family. He also said he knew who’d lit the match that night in 1984 — but that he’d never tell.
