One of Scotland’s most notorious gangsters was escorted from jail to give an “emotional” speech at his mum’s funeral.
Despite being handcuffed to a security guard, violent John Hardie eulogised about his mother to a packed Springburn Parish Church in Glasgow.
The service was attended by associates from the infamous Lyons gang, who are locked in a decades-old bloody turf war with the Daniel clan in the north of the city.
Police were on the scene in unmarked cars amid fears of a reprisal over the attack by Hardie and five cronies on rival gang leader Steven “Bonzo” Daniel in May 2017.
Hardie, 39, was caged for 20 years for his part in the attack on Daniel –nephew of late crime boss Jamie Daniel – and other victims.
Bonzo was rammed by his attackers after a 100mph car chase then hacked with a machete leaving him scarred for life, with appalling facial injuries.
One source said: “Hardie was one of the top people in the Lyons gang and he is still very much in touch with the mob from inside jail.
“The church was packed and he was taken to the lectern by the guards to give a speech. He spoke for three minutes or so and was quite emotional. He said she was a very good gran for his kids and he spoke very well.”
Hardie’s mum Helen was just 60 when she died last week. The source added: “Many were there to mourn the death of a friend but everyone would have been aware of the tension.
“There is a lurking menace inside prisons whenever these people are inside, as members of the other side will always seek to settle scores.
“But the dangers will always be amplified on the outside, no matter the occasion, as gangsters have no respect for any occasion.”
In August, 2021, Hardie was caught trying to flush a phone down his cell toilet during a search by guards at HMP Shotts. They also found a second phone in the cell.
His lawyer claimed he had the phones to keep in touch with his children who were in Spain during the pandemic. But it was feared he was using the phones to maintain contact with his criminal connections.
He was handed a six-month sentence by Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen which will run alongside his 20-year term. The court was told his earliest date of release from his 20-year sentence is in 2037.
After the phones were found, Hardie lost all prison privileges for 28 days. He was also the victim of a “napalm” attack by another prisoner.
Matthew Grady, 35, charged from his cell towards John Hardie, 38, pouring the contents of a kettle over him and threw a number of punches.
Other prisoners dragged Grady away from Hardie, who he claimed had threatened him. Grady got 15 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court last May and was told it will begin after his 10-year sentence for a murder attempt on his partner.
In May 2019, Hardie, along with Brian Ferguson, Andrew Gallacher, Robert Pickett, Andrew Sinclair and Peter Bain were jailed for 104 years in total.
The associates of the Lyons criminal family were found guilty of plotting attempts to kill five men linked to their rivals, the Daniel family.
Ferguson, Gallacher and Hardie were each jailed for 20 years, Picket was jailed for 16 years, Bain was jailed for 15 years and Sinclair was jailed for 13 years and three months. The men later lost a bid to overturn their convictions.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Prior to any individual in our care attending appointments outwith the establishment in which they are located, a robust risk assessment is undertaken to ensure security measures are in place.”
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