[3] His gang became notorious, along with the groups led by John White and Davy Payne, for pioneering the use of torture in their murders, something that was new to Northern Ireland at the time.
[1] In this role McCreery co-operated closely with Albert "Ginger" Baker, a Belfast-born British soldier and UDA volunteer.
Baker turned himself into the Royal Ulster Constabulary and agreed to testify against a number of UDA leaders, including McCreery.
However, Baker's evidence proved incoherent and was tailored in an attempt to minimise his own involvement, resulting in the judge dismissing the case and McCreery going free.
According to the evidence presented, McCreery had directed the torture but had left the shooting to Baker, preferring to remain behind and drink at the Clermont Lane club.
Eventually Sammy McCormick, recently appointed East Belfast brigadier, called a halt to the mayhem and over the coming weeks instilled a discipline within the ranks of his brigade that had previously been lacking in the area.
[2] McCreery remained an active figure in loyalist paramilitarism and, according to author Ian S. Wood, was probably one of those who killed a Protestant, Margaret Caulfield, in Ballysillan on 7 May 1986 after interrogating her and her Catholic husband in their house.
Towards the end of the decade he began to garner a reputation within the movement for corruption and greed, a trait shared by his old ally Craig.
Despite clinically dying twice on his way to the hospital, Legge survived the attack and Leonard McCreery was sentenced to eleven years in prison for attempted murder.
[15] Leon McCreery settled in Stockport where he would later come to prominence as the head steward for the far-right English Defence League.