Lyons had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs when he rammed Mark's van off the M74 in Lanarkshire. He then fled to Spain, where he remained a fugitive for 111 days.
Eventually, armed Spanish police swooped at Alicante airport as a friend arrived from Scotland with Lyons' toddler son.
Last night, the officer in charge of the case praised the Sunday Mail for helping to snare Lyons after we agreed not to name him as the prime suspect for several weeks - or to reveal that he was in Spain.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Thomson said: "The fact it didn't become public knowledge through the media certainly assisted us putting in place mechanisms which allowed us to track where he was and ultimately effect his arrest.
"In the underworld, it was fairly well known who we were looking for and where he might be.
"But the fact that it was not commented on in the media certainly assisted us."
During the manhunt, the Sunday Mail also agreed not to reveal details of a police surveillance operation.
A team of Strathclyde cops had travelled to a caravan owned by Lyons' dad David in Solway Holiday Village near Silloth, Cumbria.
David and his wife Yvonne, who live in Cumbernauld, were monitored on and around August 16 - their son's 28th birthday.
Police suspected that Lyons was planning to turn up, but he didn't arrive.
One source said: "The caravan has been used by David for a long time.
"It looked very much like they were staging a secret party for Paul, but he didn't show."
The court last week heard how Lyons, of Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, repeatedly tried to crash his van into Mark's.
Now the drug-addled thug has been placed under protection at private Addiewell prison in West Lothian amid fears that the Daniel gang will try to kill him.
Lyons is due to become a dad for the third time in the next few weeks.
He already has a son to his pregnant partner and a child to another
Eventually, armed Spanish police swooped at Alicante airport as a friend arrived from Scotland with Lyons' toddler son.
Last night, the officer in charge of the case praised the Sunday Mail for helping to snare Lyons after we agreed not to name him as the prime suspect for several weeks - or to reveal that he was in Spain.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Thomson said: "The fact it didn't become public knowledge through the media certainly assisted us putting in place mechanisms which allowed us to track where he was and ultimately effect his arrest.
"In the underworld, it was fairly well known who we were looking for and where he might be.
"But the fact that it was not commented on in the media certainly assisted us."
During the manhunt, the Sunday Mail also agreed not to reveal details of a police surveillance operation.
A team of Strathclyde cops had travelled to a caravan owned by Lyons' dad David in Solway Holiday Village near Silloth, Cumbria.
David and his wife Yvonne, who live in Cumbernauld, were monitored on and around August 16 - their son's 28th birthday.
Police suspected that Lyons was planning to turn up, but he didn't arrive.
One source said: "The caravan has been used by David for a long time.
"It looked very much like they were staging a secret party for Paul, but he didn't show."
The court last week heard how Lyons, of Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, repeatedly tried to crash his van into Mark's.
Now the drug-addled thug has been placed under protection at private Addiewell prison in West Lothian amid fears that the Daniel gang will try to kill him.
Lyons is due to become a dad for the third time in the next few weeks.
He already has a son to his pregnant partner and a child to another
Comments
Post a Comment