A Glasgow hitman who left a bag of dog poo in the hand of a dad he shot dead at a beauty spot allegedly tried to blame Ulster terrorists.
Ian McAteer, known as ‘Mad Jock’ on Liverpool’s mean streets, was a big player in the underworld of both Glasgow and Merseyside.
Raised on the rough streets of Clydebank, McAteer fell into petty crime as a child, swiftly climbing the criminal ladder and making a name for himself in Glasgow by falling in with the city’s drug gangs. Alongside peddling drugs, it’s reported he had his fingers in many pies including arms trafficking, debt collection and money laundering.
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However, he also carved out a reputation for brutal violence on Merseyside. His name hit the headlines when he was banged up for the murder of dad Warren Selkirk, who was gunned down five times at point blank range at Crosby Marina on October 30 1999.
(Image: Press Association)
McAteer was found guilty after trial and handed a life sentence. He was also given extra time for attempting to pervert the course of justice, the ECHO reports.
McAteer first hit the headlines when he was nicked with drugs in the Scottish city in 1993 and copped a five-year prison sentence.
He befriended a bloke named Jack Bennett while behind bars. However, after their release, Bennett was brutally stabbed to death in a savage attack.
McAteer and two other men were put on trial that same year, but all walked free after a majority not guilty verdict. The motive for the murder remains a mystery.
Scottish press reported that McAteer was arrested in Merseyside on suspicion of shooting a man at a set of traffic lights in Glasgow. However, he dodged another trial when the victim refused to report the incident to the police.
By this point, McAteer had established drug supply lines between Glasgow and Merseyside, peddling heroin and ecstasy. One of his associates in Merseyside was Bootle lad Warren Selkirk.
Despite being involved in the drug trade, Selkirk was also a dedicated family man who coached kids at a local gym.
Selkirk, a known drug dealer, is believed by the police to have been peddling heroin and ecstasy for a Merseyside gang in Glasgow and West Yorkshire. However, Selkirk was also a notorious gambler, often splashing thousands of pounds in a single night at a betting shop.
It’s speculated that Selkirk accumulated a debt of around £40k, which may have led to his fatal encounter with McAteer.
Selkirk was gunned down multiple times at close range upon arriving at Crosby Marina. A plastic bag filled with dog poo was found clutched in his hand.
Merseyside detectives quickly established a Scottish link and began collaborating with their counterparts in Glasgow. Ian McAteer and another man were identified as suspects and subsequently arrested.
Armed police were deployed to apprehend McAteer. However, south Liverpool drug dealer David Baker played a chilling part in attempting to shield notorious hitman McAteer.
Baker, who was later sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2006 for his involvement in a large-scale drug conspiracy, approached a minor Liverpool criminal and asked him to provide a false alibi to the police. Baker informed the man, who had previous convictions for fraud, that a friend of his was in hot water with the police and needed a solid alibi.
But when the man realised he was being dragged into a gangland slaying, he sounded the alarm and Baker was hit with charges.
Meanwhile, McAteer appeared at Liverpool Crown Court charged with murder. He said he was visiting a woman in Merseyside, but the jury didn’t buy it and he was given a life sentence.
Mr Justice Grigson said: “It is plain this was a cold-blooded execution and the execution of a man who trusted you. This sentence is mandatory. You will go to prison for life.”
Baker was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The petty criminal who gave evidence against him in court was placed in a witness protection scheme.
After the murder, there were whispers that an Ulster-based terror squad had owned up to killing Selkirk. It was claimed Selkirk had been killed by Loyalists because he had been selling guns and drugs to a Republican splinter group. A photograph was sent to an Irish newspaper which appeared to show a group of Loyalist terrorists wearing balaclavas.
However, police later labelled the claims as a “red herring” and suggested that McAteer had been behind the bizarre claims to distance himself from the murder. Police suspect that McAteer set up the photograph.
Later, McAteer’s plea to appeal his murder conviction was knocked back. After a 2006 review at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, the judges ordered that McAteer must serve at least 22-and-a-half years before he can even think about parole.
Despite being locked up, McAteer has always protested his innocence, claiming he was stitched up.
The notorious criminal ended up in the clink back in his homeland of Scotland.
Baker died in his cell at HMP Garth in January 2016.
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