Dan Laponder, the founder of the Mad Dogs Motorcycle Club, has had a wild ride from a tiny YouTube channel to a comfy jail cell. Known as 'Mad Dog' among bikers, Laponder rose through the ranks of Scotland's oldest motorbike outlaw gang, the Blue Angels, before breaking away in 2023. This split sparked a bloody feud that’s still raging.
Laponder’s YouTube channel, ‘Easy Entry Locksmith,’ barely got off the ground with just 51 subscribers and 22,200 views. But it wasn’t locksmith skills that landed him behind bars. In June 2024, he planted a pipe bomb under a rival's father’s van, leading to a nine-year sentence. The device was discovered by an off-duty firefighter and defused by the bomb squad.
In his social media posts from HMP Greenock, Laponder brags about his life behind bars: writing books, recording music, and mentoring new inmates. He claims he’s just months away from a low-security transfer to HMP Castle Huntly, where he’ll have more freedom. Despite it all, he says, 'I’ll be back on top soon enough.'
Detective Inspector Claire Whitfield had this to say: 'Laponder's actions caused serious harm and disruption in the community. His sentencing reflects the severity of his crimes.'