Castlemilk puppy robbery: Thugs behind bars after raid where knife was held against 10-year-old's throat

Ben Murphy (19), Liam Kinsella (27) and Samuel Durnion (21) smashed into the house of Leanne Hodge in Castlemilk, Glasgow last August.

One of the armed raiders grabbed a young girl there and screamed: “Where is your f*****g dad?”

As Leanne and others then hid for safety, the gang grabbed eight three-week old Bull Mastiff pups valued at £8,000.

A high-profile appeal was later launched to try and find the robbers and the dogs.

A judge heard the trio were snared – with Murphy helping get himself caught by leaving a letter and his passport nearby.

It also emerged Kinsella helped carry out another armed raid at the home of his ex-boss weeks earlier.

The three are now behind bars after they today admitted acting with others in the assault and robbery at Leanne's house.

Kinsella also pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to the other raid at a house in Wishaw, Lanarkshire.

They will be sentenced next month.

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Prosecutor Duncan McPhie said Leanne was at home last August 21 with her partner when the gang stormed in. Three children were also there.

The robbers were wearing dark clothes, had their hoods up while armed with machetes and hammers.

They yelled: “Where the f*** are you?”

Mr McPhie: “They entered as a 10 year-old girl made her way downstairs.

“A number of the men smashed ground floor windows of the property.

“One of them seized hold of the girl, placed a machete to her throat and stated: “Where's your f*****g dad?”

The court heard others in the house took “shelter in fear” by barricading themselves in an upstairs bedroom.

Mr McPhie added: “They (the robbers) took hold of eight Bull Mastiff puppies.

“The men left – some on foot and others by car.”

Police soon arrived and found keys belonging to a Volkswagen Polo the gang initially drove there.

Mr McPhie: “They recovered a number of items including a letter in the name of Murphy.”

His passport was also found lying in the same street.

Murphy was later discovered outside a nearby McDonalds. He claimed to be in Glasgow having travelled from Wishaw.

Quizzed about the robbery, he added: “I don't recall that. I don't have the dogs.”

Kinsella was later identified as the driver of the Volkswagen. DNA also helped link him and Durnion to the raid.

Kinsella, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, told police: “I know what this is about...those puppies. I know why I am in.

“I gave my mate a loan of a machete and I left my phone in a car.”

The court was not told how many of the dogs were found.

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But, a Facebook post by a relative of Leanne a month after the crime stated four had been returned home.

Maintenance worker Kinsella had been involved in another armed robbery five days earlier.

George Murray clocked three people smashing their way into his home in Wishaw.

Kinsella was armed with a machete as he yelled: “Safe – give us your safe.”

George said he did not have one – before the the trio ran off.

Mr McPhie: “George Murray and his wife gave police the name of Kinsella, who they recognised as an ex-employee of him.

“He was someone who would have known about cash required to pay salaries for staff.”

The court heard Kinsella then returned to George's home the next day asking how he was after hearing of an “incident” there.

George was described as immediately being “suspicious”.

Kinsella ended up being linked to the raid while being held for the puppy robbery.

His lawyer Neil McCulloch today/yesterday said “almost inexplicably” Kinsella had got involved in the crimes.

Mr McCulloch added the thug was not the one who held the machete to the girl.

Louise Arrol, defending Durnion, also stated he was not responsible for that.

Murphy's advocate David Nicolson said the first offender had “naively” taken part.

Lord Beckett deferred sentencing for reports.