A former top cop and Labour MSP has called for Ross McGill and others involved in organised crime to be refused legal aid.

The plea from Graeme Pearson was made following the arrest of five gangland figures , including the Glasgow crime boss, in a swoop by police in Dubai.

If the five men were extradited back to the UK and faced criminal proceedings in Scotland, they could apply for legal aid to fund any future defence.

Pearson has long been concerned by the ability of major crime figures like cocaine smuggler Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson to claim legal aid despite their clear and previous links to organised crime, reports the Daily Record .

He was Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency until 2007 and between 2011 and 2016 was a Labour MSP and justice spok

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