David Scott jailed for 22 years for the 'execution' of Euan Johnston

A man has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years after being found guilty of "executing" a driver who had stopped in his car at traffic lights.

David Scott, 33, shot Euan Johnston twice in the head in the attack in Glasgow in November 2016.

The 26-year-old suffered a catastrophic brain injury and died later in hospital.

At the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

The shooting is believed to be linked to organised crime.

Judge Lady Stacey told Scott: "You coldly and deliberately cut a man's life short, leaving a grieving family. You carried this out in a public street and showed no regard to not only your victim but also to members of the public.

"The attack was a premeditated murderous assault which involved a lethal weapon. It has correctly been called an execution and was carried out in a public street. You have many convictions for crimes of violence."

Mr Johnston, a father-of-two, was sitting in his Audi RS4 at red lights at the junction of Shields Road and Scotland Street at about 23:40 when he was targeted.

He was chatting to partner Danielle Carruthers on the phone when an Audi Q5 pulled alongside and three shots rang out.

Two of the bullets hit Mr Johnston, who was known as EJ, in the head. One went through his brain.

The third bullet hit the rubber seal round the driver's door of Mr Johnston's car.

At the time of the shooting - described in court by prosecutor Alex Prentice QC as "a well planned execution" - Mr Johnston was awaiting trial at the High Court on charges of drug dealing invovling £640,000 of heroin.

Prosecutors believe killer Scott was acting as part of a group but the identities of the others are unknown.

Earlier in the trial, Scott's co-accused, 33-year-old Anthony Ruthven, was cleared of murder.

Scott was caught because he left behind a hooded top in the Audi Q5 getaway car.

The car was abandoned and set ablaze but forensic scientists were able to recover fragments and discovered Scott's DNA on the zip area.

Police also found CCTV footage of the gang carrying out surveillance on Mr Johnston's movements shortly before his death.

The jury was shown footage which illustrated the timeline of the shooting of Mr Johnston.

After they returned their verdict Mr Prentice told the court that Scott had a number of previous convictions for carrying weapons and violence.

Scott showed no emotion as he was led away to begin his sentence.

Det Sup Jim Kerr, senior investigating officer in the case, said: "We welcome the conviction of David Scott. This was a pre-planned cold-blooded murder of a young man in the middle of a busy area, and despite being targeted, was an act which was cowardly and without regard for any innocent bystanders who may have been in the vicinity.

"This type of violence involving illegal firearms will not be tolerated and regardless of who is involved, no one should be on our streets discharging them. Organised crime is a serious issue that affects individuals, communities and businesses across Scotland.

"Our extensive investigation revealed to us that there was more than just one person at the scene of the shooting and we would ask anyone who has information that may be useful to contact police.

"Any new information will be thoroughly investigated."