The Glasgow crime story of the murder of Owen Hassan in Pollokshaws

Earlier that evening on November 7, 2018, the 30-year-old had enjoyed a meal with a pal at the popular Italian Oro restaurant in Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands.

Later he went to the Old Stag Inn bar in Greenview Street in nearby Pollokshaws which was managed by his mum Ann Marie and where he would often help out.

But not tonight.

Owen left the bar a few minutes later, around 10.25pm, and was approached in the street by two men that he recognised. One had a giant butchers knife in his hand.

Fearing the worse Owen ran back to the safety of the bar.

However, the two men caught up with the young dad and subjected him to a sustained and violent attack.

Hearing the commotion his mum ran outside and found Owen slumped against the door, covered in blood.

She and several regulars tried to keep him alive until the emergency services arrived.

Owen was then rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in nearby Govan where he was later pronounced dead.

A murder investigation was launched later that Wednesday night and the area round the pub sealed off including the derelict former Shawbridge Arcade shopping centre.

Detectives revealed that the two killers had been hiding behind the Old Stag Inn since around 10pm, waiting for Owen in what was a planned attack with knives.

Locals spoke the following day of their shock at hearing of his brutal murder.

One Jim Laurie said: “This is a quiet street with mostly pensioners. I’ve lived here for 50 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.

“There are young ones who hang about but you get that everywhere.”

A few days later Owen’s mother and father Daniel attended a press conference with detectives at Paisley police office.

Ann Marie, above, then 55, made an emotional appeal for information to help catch her son’s killer.

It was revealed that she had performed CPR on the doorstep of the bar in a desperate bid to keep him alive.

The mum said: “I still can’t believe that he’s gone and expect him to walk through the door as he did every day. Owen was a loving father.

“He left three young children without a dad and was denied watching his son and two daughters grow up.

“I hope that no other family has to endure this experience and suffering, and I believe that someone out there must have information that could help catch the two men who violently killed my son.

“As a mother I beg anyone out there who has any information at all that could help catch these men to please contact police immediately.”

Police confirmed that Owen, who had three children under the age of 10, met the friend for dinner in Oro and left around 5.30pm.

However, they had been unable to establish his movements between leaving the restaurant and arriving at the Old Stag Inn, five hours later, at around 10.20pm.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Fergus said at the time, above,: “The two individuals secreted behind the Old Stag Inn on the night in question were clearly awaiting Owen Hassan.

“What we know is that Owen Hassan attended the pub for a few moments that night to engage with his mother, however on leaving the pub he was viciously attacked by these two individuals with bladed weapons.

“Subsequently he died on the doorstep of his mother’s public house in her arms as she attempted CPR.

“Her grandchildren have now been left without a father and I would ask if anyone has any information to please get in contact with us.”

However, there was to be a fresh headache for the family two months later on the night before Owen’s funeral in late January 2019.

Fireworks were set off in and around the grounds of St Robert Bellarmine Church in Peat Road, Nitshill, while Owen’s family prayed inside at a vigil.

Police later found a stash of unused fireworks including rockets and bangers near the building.

Extra officers were sent to patrol his funeral mass the following day and cremation at St Conval’s Cemetery in Barrhead.

One man whose home overlooks the Peat Road church said at the time: “It was like Guy Fawkes Night.

“My wife and I could not understand why anyone would set off fireworks at what was a funeral service.

“The fireworks were like an explosion, and they lit up the sky and the noise was incredible.

“They must have lasted for five or six minutes but it could have been longer.

“The fire brigade stayed for some time afterwards to clear up and check that no fires developed.”

To this day it is not known if the fireworks incident was linked to Owen’s murder or simply mindless hooliganism.

By this time police had identified two men as prime suspects, David Callaghan, 30, and Craig Corrall, 39.

They both stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow in November 2019, a year after Owen’s murder.

Prosecutors claimed they had chased, seized and repeatedly struck Owen with knives or machetes and stabbed him in the heart.

In her evidence Ann Marie recalled trying to save her dying son and how he was covered in blood.

She initially chased after the person she thought was responsible, before realising he was with a second man.

Ann Marie also recalled her last conversation with her son before he was murdered.

She added: “He came in and said he was exhausted and was going to go home and get a shower.

“He then took the keys for the house.”

She said she heard a bang a few minutes later.

She ran from behind the bar and found bloodstained Owen helpless against her pub door.

When she went after Owen’s attackers as they fled, one yelled at her: “F*** off, missus.”

The mum added: “I ran back to the pub. He was just lying there … covered in blood. I was trying to get a phone to call an ambulance. I was just trying to help him.”

It was then suggested to her by one of the defence lawyers that Owen had a lot of enemies.

His mum replied: “Maybe he had enemies, I don’t know.

“Owen stood up for himself but that does not give them reason for what they had done.”

One regular who went to help the dying dad said he saw a man with a “seriously big knife” strolling away from the scene.

James Nolan described the murder victim as having horrific facial injuries when he found him at the door of the pub.

Electrician James – who also gave Owen CPR – had been at the bar for a meeting with other tradesmen.

He then went outside and found him on the ground trying to get up.

At first James thought Owen had been subjected to punches and kicks, but then realised it was much more serious.

James told the court he tried to stop Ann Marie seeing the full extent of her son’s injuries.

During the two week trial, the court was also told that Corrall had bombarded a former partner with a string of threatening and abusive texts after discovering she’d had a brief fling with Owen.

One sent by Corrall stated: “I told you. It’s me or him who dies.”

Another said: “You mean nothing to me – and remember I am prepared to die or do 20 years.”

The trial further heard how Corrall had boasted to a friend that he had “stabbed the f*** out” of Owen.

Another key person, Stephen Ward, 24, recalled how the thug confessed he had “done something bad”.

Ward told jurors: “He informed me where it had taken place. He said that it was a very short distance from the Old Stag Inn in Pollokshaws.”

Though the murder was captured on CCTV, prosecutors said it was a challenge to identify the attackers due to the poor quality of the footage.

However, investigators were able to use forensic analysis of the way the killers walked to help identify them.

In December 2019, the jury found Callaghan and Corrall guilty of murder.

Both men were sentenced to life the following January and told they must serve at least 20 years each before they can be considered for parole.

Trial judge Lord Woolman, who jailed the pair, said the attack was planned and vicious.

While Prosecutor David Green added: “The conviction was a result of excellent investigative work using modern techniques. This was a violent, premeditated attack and these men were well aware of the consequences.”