Infamous Scots. Howard Wilson.

Contains Sensitive Information.

On 30th December 1969 the Clydesdale Bank, Bridge Street, Linwood, Glasgow, was held up by three armed robbers. They locked the staff in the bank and made their getaway with £14,000.

The robbers drove to Wilson’s flat in Allison Street where they intended to share out the loot. While they were trying to unload their haul from the car they were noticed by Inspector Andrew Hyslop who recognised Wilson as a former policeman who had some ten years’ service.

The way the men were behaving made Hyslop suspicious and he radioed in for backup. Within a few minutes a sergeant and three constables arrived. The five men made their way up to the flat.

In the flat they found a suitcase full of coins and notes and started to conduct a proper search of the flat. It was at that point that Howard Wilson pulled out a gun and shot Hyslop at close range in the face.

Before he could be subdued he also managed to shoot two of the other officers, killing one and fatally injuring another. Wilson and his accomplices were arrested.

Wilson appeared in Edinburgh High Court in February 1970 charged with murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Being a policeman himself Wilson would have known how hard life would be for him in prison and this might have influenced the way in which he behaved.