True Crime With Caledonian Kitty : They Were Branded Baby Kill*rs!! | Police Corruption, Hunger Strikes, Prison Break-Outs & Drug Wars! They Spent 20 Years Trying To Prove Their Innocence: The Unbelievable & Tragic Story of TC Campbell & Joe Steele

(Thomas 'TC' Campbell & Joe Steele. Picture credit: Glasgow World)

*Please be aware that some of the details in this post will be disturbing. I have, as always, aimed to be as sensitive as I can be without taking away from the facts of the case. If you would like to discuss this post, or any of the cases I have covered in this blog, please email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*

In my last couple of posts, I wrote about the horrific and brutal murder of schoolgirl Jodi Jones back in 2003, and the shocking way in which the police had botched the investigation. I talked about the blatant cover-ups involved in the case and the mistreatment and media bullying of Jodi's 14 year old boyfriend Luke, who ended up being thrown in prison, accused of her murder despite lack of DNA evidence. The blame was fully placed on Luke despite five other DNA specimen samples belonging to other people being collected from the crime scene as well as evidence being destroyed. I also talked about the fact that Luke has been fighting for his freedom for over 20 years and refuses to accept deals, he has remained adamant that he will only walk out of prison when his innocence is proven. I covered the case and Luke's fight for justice in two parts, just in case you haven't had the chance to read the posts, you can find them here: Part One & here: Part Two

When I was sharing Luke's story I mentioned very briefly Joe Steele and Thomas 'TC' Campbell. These two men were victims of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice that the UK has ever seen. They had spent 18 years imprisoned for a heinous crime that they didn't commit and spent 20 years fighting to clear their names. Just like Luke, they had been dragged through the mud by the police and the press but luckily for them, they had a huge support network but it still wasn't easy. The unbelievable story of what Joe Steele and Thomas 'TC' Campbell went through was actually first brought to my attention by my favourite author (who also inspired me to write about true crime), the late and legendary Reg McKay. Reg had written about Joe and TC numerous times as well as collaborating on books with TC. Reg also wrote about them regularly in his newspaper column as a way to keep the story out there and further gather support for their campaign.

So in this post I will be focusing on the false imprisonment of Joe and TC as well as the horrifying crime in which they were accused. Without further ado, let's get into it...

As you might know, Glasgow holds a very special place in my heart and always will. It's a place I grew up, enjoyed so many amazing experiences, created so many memories and it's the place where my grandparents were born, where they met, fell in love and got married. It's where my mother was born and where they raised their children before my grandfather passed away at just 42. My grandmother worked in all of the great hospitals and my grandfather worked in the shipyards. I feel like I know the city like the back of my hand, I know where to go and where best to avoid. If you're ever needing some travel tips on where to go, museums, sightseeing, restaurants etc....I'm your gal!

What I also love about Glasgow (or as we call it 'Glesga') is that it's both modern but old school at the same time. There are still some old school cafes where you can pop in, have a cup of Scottish blend tea with a Tunnock's caramel wafer and just listen to the typical Glasgow banter from the city folk (''Are ye ok hen?, och it's rainin doon in buckets oot there''). Then there's the extraordinary beauty and wonder of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum where you can get lost for hours and enjoy a cup of cappuccino, soaking in all the history, stunning architecture and fascinating exhibitions. It's a city that has something for everyone but like all cities, it has it good parts and it's not-so good parts and that includes it's history. As a city, Glasgow has a lot to be proud of, an incredible past of shipbuilding, art, architecture, medical breakthroughs and it was known as the Second City of the British Empire. There's just so much history of this incredible place and it's people. Boston had a taste of Glaswegian sense of humour when the Scots flew over to the States for the World Cup recently and of course everyone got on so well that friendships for life were created. But there is also a dark history of Glasgow, one that is steeped in knife crime and hard times, especially back in the day and this post takes us back to 1984.

On the 16th of April 1984, the city of Glasgow and surrounding areas woke up to the horrifying news that a family home had been set on fire in the early hours of the morning. Nine people were in the property, members of the Doyle family plus their close friends. Only three people were able to get out alive, six members of the Doyle family sadly died. James Doyle (who was 53 years old), His son, James (who was 23), His 14 year old son, Anthony, his daughter Christina (who was just 25) and her 18 month old baby, Mark. James's 18 year old son Andrew also died and he was reportedly the main target. This evil and devastating murder of innocent people was reportedly down to Andrew's refusal to be part of a drugs racket. At the time, ice cream vans in Glasgow didn't only sell ice cream and treats, they were like little convenience stores on wheels. You could buy bread, milk, toilet rolls, cigarettes and toothpaste, even the newspapers! These vans were a godsend for elderly people and those who didn't have a car but as convenient as they were, some of them were a front for selling drugs. The Doyle family were not involved in anything like that and despite the intimidation and threats, Andrew stood his ground and refused to give up his route or the trust and safety of his local, regular customers.

(The Doyle family funeral. Picture credit: Pinterest)

Glasgow was notorious for gangland crime and everyone knew about different parts of the city where drug crime was rife. The likes of Tam McGraw who was a ruthless gangster ruled the streets and would often target local businesses with his little henchmen. The ice cream vans were a definite money-maker and McGraw was all about making money. Part of his routine was to threaten, bully and intimidate the owner of a business by offering to provide what he called 'security' services in exchange for a cut of the takings, if the owner refused it could prove to be deadly, as is in the case with the Doyle family. Tam was careful and also very much a coward so he would have others carry out his crimes and threats of intimidation.

The murders of the Doyle family shook the whole of Glasgow and people were terrified it was going to happen again. Who would set fire to someone's house in the early hours of the morning whilst people were asleep in their beds? Who would target a family home where there were children? especially a little baby? The Doyle home was a top floor flat so the person or persons who deliberately started the fire know that it would be extremely difficult for anyone inside to escape.

There was huge amounts of pressure on the police to find out who carried this evil crime out. In the weeks that followed, the heartbreaking funeral (which was a shared service for all six members of the deceased) took place. People were sobbing their hearts out for all the victims and they could barely hold on at the sight of Christine and Mark's coffin. The devoted young mother and her little boy shared the same coffin. After the funeral the tears and grief began to turn to rage and anger, the public demanded justice to be done and who could blame them?

Several arrests were made and eventually the police narrowed to two men that they were adamant were guilty of the Doyle murders, TC Campbell (31) and 22 year old Joe Steele. TC had been involved in petty crime and was caught up in the ice cream wars but wasn't involved in the Doyle murders, Joe had a background of petty crime and was an associate of TC but wasn't a part of the ice cream van disputes.

The so-called evidence against the pair of them was ridiculous, both of the men were no angels but murderers? The police were desperate to pin the murders on someone and close the case. All of a sudden a map of Glasgow appeared amongst TC's belongings which had the area where the Doyle family lived, circled. The police also claimed that they overheard TC saying that he meant to just frighten Andrew Doyle and that he wasn't the one who lit the match. An unrelated man who's son was facing a sentence for robbery and about to go down for a long time bargained with the police that he would give them some information about the Doyle family murders in exchange for them dropping the charges on his son. The cops agreed and the old man told them that he overheard TC Campbell and Joe Steele talking about the Doyle family murders in a bar, telling people that they did it. So TC and Joe were fitted up for the murders based on really weak evidence which was basically a planted map and rumours or made-up accusations.

Any other possible suspects were never looked in to. The pair were to stand trial and a jury of 15 people were to decide whether they thought the two men were guilty or not. Surprisingly every one of those 15 people decided that they were guilty of the Doyle family murders and they were sentenced to life imprisonment. TC was given an additional 10 year sentence because he was accused of previously threatening Andrew Doyle with a shotgun in the days leading up to the murders. In shock and disbelief they declared their innocence but nobody would listen, they were seen as cold-bloodied murderers, baby killers, scum of the earth and the rest of the Doyle family, friends, neighbours and general public just wanted to see the back of them, some people wanted to see them hang. The were hated deeply by so many because a lot of the public at that time believed in the law and what was printed in the newspapers.

In 1985, TC and Joe had tried to appeal their sentences but this was rejected. In a surprise turn of events, the man who claimed to have overheard them in a bar confessing to the Doyle murders, all of a sudden admitted that he lied under oath. Word got back to TC and Joe and they saw this as the green light to appeal again. Whilst the new evidence had came to life they were released pending the second appeal which they were confident would go through because the police have nothing on them. It was decided that the admission that the so-called witness had lied was still not enough to declare the men innocent so they were called back to prison to continue their sentences.

Both TC and Joe were determined not to give up and Joe decided to put some drastic plans into action in an attempt to get public attention. On a supervised visit to his mother's house who was said to have been in ill health at the time, Joe decided to pull some mad stunts for publicity. He stood on his mother's rooftop with a banner and then managed to get down to London where he (wearing a t-shirt with a painting of Christ of St John The Cross by Salvidor Dali - You can view this beautiful painting at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum by the way) superglued himself to the gates of Buckingham palace. In a later attempt at gaining publicity he managed to escape again and climbed a lighting tower. Each time he escaped and carried out these stunts he would hand himself back into authorities afterwards to continue his sentence. He was doing whatever he could to get all eyes on their case. TC's approach to protesting his innocence was growing his hair out and going on hunger strike which did get very serious at times. Family and friends who knew the pair well had always stood by them but by now, more and more members of the public were starting to support them.

(Joe Steele at the Buckingham Palace Gates. Picture credit: Daily Record)

The more members of the public looked into their story, the more demands were made for their release but authorities were doing their best to keep them inside. The police knew what they had done and it would be a huge scandal for all involved if the truth got out, but they had no choice. The truth won out in the end. In 2004, TC and Joe's case was at the court of appeal where the judges had declared their convictions unjust and that a major miscarriage of justice had occurred. Thomas 'TC' Campbell and Joe Steele were officially declared innocent and free to go!

It was a bittersweet victory when the two men were finally set free. TC was 51 years old and Joe was 42, they'd lost a lot of years away from their loved ones. Another sad fact about this story is that the men deeply disliked each other. Joe later spoke about their release and the publicity photos where the pair are seen cheering and celebrating....apparently that was all for show. They were happy at being released finally but there was no love lost between them. The two men had their reasons for not seeing eye to eye but Joe did say in an interview that he felt resentment because he was just 22 years old and was loosely acquainted with TC. He felt that TC's negative involvement with the Ice Cream Wars in the past had played a part in why they were both found guilty. There was also disagreements with the protests, publicity and with working on appeals and breaking a reported pact that they'd agreed on. They had previously agreed not to accept easier conditions but TC agreed to have a transfer to a special unit and this upset Joe. I found it particularly sad that they were not close as you would expect with such a traumatic experience to have happened to them both.

After their ordeal they found it difficult to adjust to life outside of prison. Joe tried his best to get on with life and be with his family, TC tried the same, it wasn't easy for either of them and they did battle with substances and alcohol in an attempt to cope with the post traumatic stress disorder. Joe had the support of his family and friends around him. TC led a quiet life and was reportedly living alone when he sadly passed away in June 2019 in his sleep, he was just 66 years old. Joe said that he hated TC and was never friends with him which is quite a strong stance on things. He did say that they spoke a short time before TC passed away and had managed to iron out a lot of their differences.

In regards to compensation for everything they had been through, I can imagine that this helped further the divide between them. TC was given around £1.2 million - £2 million because the loss of earnings from his ice cream business had been taken into account. Joe was given £750,000 because he was unemployed at the time. Apparently your status of employment determines how much compensation you are rewarded. I think both of them should have been given the same, both of them were falsely accused, vilified and lost many years of their lives.

There's many interviews that Joe has done because he has always been determined to get the truth out there. I've included interviews featuring Joe and TC below.

(Tam McGraw. Picture credit: The Scottish Sun)

As for the horrifying murders of the Doyle family, it's heartbreaking that the police are refusing to reopen the case. It remains unsolved to this day. All fingers are pointing at Tam McGraw but he passed away in 2007 at the age of 55. He was said to have led his later life in fear, constantly paranoid. He had so many enemies and was so disliked that there was hitmen willing to kill him for free. With McGraw gone and a lot of his associates deceased, will this case ever be solved? To this day, rumours remain and despite the lack of evidence there are people out there who do actually think that TC and Joe were guilty. There's some who think that TC was guilty all along and that Joe was innocent, some believe that TC was involved especially with him having the ice cream van himself. They thought that was part of the reason that Joe disliked TC. It's all thoughts and speculation, nobody knows the real answers here. I just wish that there were answers and proper closure for the Doyle family.

Reg McKay is no longer with us and it breaks my heart because he was an incredibly fearless writer. I will always be flying the flag for his incredible work. I've read every book he's ever written and it saddens me that there is no more but for those who are not familiar with his books, I will always recommend them. I will include them in my list of further reading below.

So what are your thoughts on this story? I would love to hear them, please share your comments below or email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

RIP to the Doyle family, TC, Reg... you will never be forgotten.

Further Reading & Sources:

- The Wilderness Years: Book by Reg McKay & TC Campbell

- Indictment: Book by Reg McKay & TC Campbell

- Remembering TC Campbell | Miscarriages Of Justice

- TC Campbell: Article | Daily Record

- Tam McGraw: Book by Reg Mckay

- Ice Cream Wars | Wikipedia

- Joe Steele: Interview | Anything Goes With James English

- Joe Steele: Interview | The Jim King Show

- TC Campbell: Interview | Anything Goes With James English