SCOTLAND'S most notorious sectarian killer should rebuild his life away from Glasgow now that he has been released from prison, locals have urged.
Jason Campbell, who slashed the throat of 16-year-old Mark Scott in an unprovoked attack in Glasgow in 1995 simply because Mark supported Celtic, is now out on parole from his life sentence.
Campbell, now 38, walked free from Shotts Prison on Monday and has been seen around the Bridgeton area of Glasgow’s east end, close to where he murdered Mark in a crime that sent shockwaves throughout Scotland.
But with renewed attempts to eradicate sectarianism in Scotland, and fearful of impressionable youths making a hero of Campbell, residents in Bridgeton say his presence continues to cast a shadow over the area.
One said: “Jason Campbell was the worst thing to happen to Bridgeton. The area has never shrugged off what he did to that boy and seeing him around is a reminder. For 15 years now the only thing many people know Bridgeton for is that terrible murder and the Campbells.”
Another said: “He’s been keeping his head down and not been around the pubs. But he went into jail with no skills and has come out the same. The best thing for him to do and for the rest of the people who live round here is for him to move on, start again somewhere else. If he wants to play the big man then I’m sure there’s still places in Belfast that would welcome him. If he wants to go somewhere people won’t know him there’s always London.”
The Herald exclusively revealed in January 2010 that Campbell had been granted home leave in preparation for his release and spent several days over that Christmas period at his family home in Bridgeton.
Campbell, whose father and uncle were notorious Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) terror chiefs in Glasgow, was initially jailed in 1996 without limit of time but the introduction of European human rights legislation meant the courts fixed the period he must serve, with a minimum of 15 years set in 2002. Mark’s family has remained silent on the matter and again declined to comment.
Local SNP MSP John Mason said: “This was a despicable crime that horrified Scotland and my thoughts remain with Mark Scott’s family. Campbell has served the full term he was sentenced to but any breach of his licence and he risks going back inside.”
The Scottish Government said Campbell would be closely supervised, adding: “This was one of the most extreme examples of the needless sectarian violence that often aligns itself with football in Scotland. There is no place for sectarianism in any area of Scotland.”
In the minutes before he died, Mark, a Glasgow Academy pupil and the son of a leading corporate lawyer, had been watching Celtic’s 2-1 win over Partick Thistle with two friends at nearby Celtic Park.
As the three youngsters walked along London Road towards Bridgeton Cross they were subjected to abuse from Rangers fans outside a pub.
Campbell ran up behind Mark, who was wearing a Celtic top, and slashed his throat. The attack, in broad daylight, was witnessed by other fans, women out shopping with their children and people in cars and buses.
A row erupted in 1997 when it emerged that Campbell requested to be transferred to Belfast’s Maze jail as a “political prisoner” because of his UVF connections. In June 1979, his father Colin Campbell and his uncle William “Big Bill” Campbell and another seven UVF terrorists had been sentenced to a total of 519 years, with charges ranging from the bombing of two Catholic pubs in Glasgow and a criminal conspiracy to further the cause of the UVF by gathering arms and explosives. The transfer was vetoed by then First Minister Donald Dewar.
In the aftermath of the murder, Mark’s girlfriend, Cara Henderson, set up Nil By Mouth, Scotland’s first organised anti-sectarian campaign group, which continues today.
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