Gangland hitman who threw acid at Scottish Conservative leader is freed
Two years ago he revealed he had been informed by Police Scotland of a potential threat to his life from a "known criminal".Findlay was a well known crime reporter when he was attacked on the doorstep of his Glasgow home two days before Christmas in 2015. Burns, now aged 65, threw a corrosive substance, believed to be sulphuric acid, at the journalist and then tried to stab him with a knife. Image caption, William Burns was jailed in 2017 over the acid attackBut Findlay fought back, overpowering his attacker and was able to detain him until police arrived.
- ▪Two years ago he revealed he had been informed by Police Scotland of a potential threat to his life from a "known criminal".Findlay was a well known crime reporter when he was attacked on the doorstep of his Glasgow home two days before Chr
- ▪Burns, now aged 65, threw a corrosive substance, believed to be sulphuric acid, at the journalist and then tried to stab him with a knife.
- ▪Image caption, William Burns was jailed in 2017 over the acid attackBut Findlay fought back, overpowering his attacker and was able to detain him until police arrived.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — Politics |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpq8ndxd1n5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:38:09 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-29T14:48:09.784Z |
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Gangland hitman who threw acid at Scottish Conservative leader is freedImage caption, Russell Findlay says he refuses to be cowed by criminals, even though he believes there is a possibility he will be attacked againByDavid Wallace LockhartScotland political correspondentPublished9 minutes agoThe leader of the Scottish Conservatives has warned that organised crime groups may still have "unfinished business" with him, as a hitman who attacked him with acid was released from prison.Russell Findlay was working an investigative journalist for The Sun newspaper in 2015 when William Burns knocked on his door, disguised as a postman, and threw the corrosive liquid in his face.The MSP told BBC Scotland News that he received a letter a few weeks ago informing him that Burns would be leaving prison…
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