Murder trial of Scot accused of shooting crime writer hears victim 'attracted anger from people in serious organised crime'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scot yesterday denied murdering a Dutch crime writer and a raft of drugs and gun charges. Christopher Hughes, 33, of Glasgow is accused of shooting Martin Kok at a club in Amsterdam.

The victim suffered shot wounds to his head and body.The High Court in Glasgow heard from a detective about Kok’s work.Prosecutor Liam Ewing asked DI Michael Lochrie what Kok’s occupation was.

He replied: “A Dutch journalist and crime blogger.”Ewing went on: “It would be fair to say that he published details about organised criminals which journalists would not publish?”Lochrie replied, “Yes”, and agreed that it was, “quite often sensationalist”.Ewing added: “It would be known by the inquiry looking at his death that he was a man who attracted anger and rage from people involved in serious organised crime?” Lochrie answered, “Yes”, and later added that Mr Kok was also “well known” public figure.The Daily Record and Sunday Mail have always been at the forefront when it comes to reporting crime in Scotland.But did you know all the ways you can stay informed of the top crime and courts headlines?We share live crime news and exclusive court stories as well as features and columns on historical cases, keeping our readers informed and updated across the country.

The court was also told that Lochrie was part of a team investigating Operation Escalade. This was described as “serious organised crime connected by a group of people in Scotland and the UK involving information from prosecuting authorities in Europe.”As well as being accused of the shooting at the Boccaccio club in Amsterdam on December 8, 2016, it is alleged Hughes attempted to murder Kok earlier that day.He also faces three charges from 2011-20 including being accused of being