A MURDER plot accused told a cellmate he hated former Loyalist paramilitary boss Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair and talked of shooting him while the target walked his dog or trained at the gym, a court has heard.

Edward McVeigh, 27, shared a cell with Antoin Duffy - also known as Anton - at Castle Huntly open prison and was also at Shotts prison when Duffy was there.

He told the High Court in Glasgow that Duffy was a Republican sympathiser who claimed he was a member of the Real IRA.

Paul Kearney, prosecuting, asked McVeigh: "How often did you discuss the possibility of taking out Johnny Adair with Antoin Duffy?" He replied: "I'm not sure. Every couple of days."

He was then asked about Duffy's attitude towards Adair and said: "He didn't like him. He hated him because of who he is and because of what he's done in Northern Ireland.

"He's responsible for a lot of murders. They murdered innocent Catholics and claimed they were political targets."

McVeigh was giving evidence at the trial of Duffy, 39, Martin Hughes, 36, Paul Sands, 31 and John Gorman, 58, who deny conspiring to murder Mr Adair and Sam "Skelly" McCrory - once high profile figures in the loyalist organisation and its military wing the Ulster Freedom Fighters.

Mr Kearney asked where the alleged shooting of Mr Adair was to take place and was told by McVeigh: "Either the golf course where he walked his dog early in the morning or at the gym where he trained."

Mr Kearney asked: "What discussion was there about what weapon was going to be used?" McVeigh replied: "The big fella."

He told the jury he had asked Duffy what he meant by that and was allegedly told it was a Kalashnikov.

McVeigh was asked where the information about Mr Adair's movements had come from and he replied: "Piddy Gorman I think was the name."

Mr Kearney then asked: "Who did Mr Duffy say would do the actual shooting of Mr Adair?" McVeigh said: "Himself and it could possibly have been myself or Paul Sands."

The court heard that McVeigh, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, whose family are mainly Loyalist supporters, converted to Roman Catholicism and was baptised at Castle Huntly. His godfather was Duffy.

It is also claimed Duffy and Mr Gorman were allegedly part of a plan to murder the governor of Barlinnie jail Derek McGill in a car bomb attack.

Three other men - Craig Convery, 37, Gary Convery, 34, and Gordon Brown, 29, - deny organised crime charges.

McVeigh told the jury of 10 women and five men that Duffy also discussed killing Mr McGill.

He said he heard Duffy and Gorman talking about this and added: "I walked into the cell they were talking about information about the car he was driving and where he played five-a-side football."

McVeigh added: "There was discussion about a possible bomb, but they didn't want innocent children or other people getting hurt."

He claimed that a gun was then talked about.

McVeigh told the court that Duffy said that Gerry Adams was a traitor because of his involvement in the peace process.

He added: "Antoin had a bitterness and hate because the British ruled the north of Ireland and British soldiers were still occupying the north. He wanted a united Ireland."

Under cross-examination Derek Ogg QC, defending Duffy asked McVeigh, who was convicted of drug dealing, if both he and Duffy were addicted to Tramadol during their stay together in prison.

McVeigh said they were and added: "I was taking up to 30 tablets a day and Antoin was taking double that."

Mr Ogg asked why they did this and was told: "To escape from reality."

The QC then said: "If you were affected by this drug you wouldn't know who had been in your cell and what they had said." McVeigh replied: "It depends how many you have taken that day."

McVeigh was then asked how he could remember so much about alleged conversations when he spoke to the police and replied: "I just remember what I remember."

All accused deny the charge against them.

The trial, before judge Lady Scott, continues.