Two ex-directors of a high-profile property company, engulfed in a family feud, have been ordered to pay a total of more than £171,000 in damages to their former firm.

The bitter split between factions of the Gillespie family has led them to the Court of Session in Edinburgh where a judge has been examining the books of Gillespie Investments Limited (GIL).

Lord Hodge also heard accounts of one Gillespie brother assaulting another and breaking his skull, and of a phone call in which threats were made to a man that "heavies" would douse him in petrol.

The Gillespies made a fortune in the mining business, after setting up a joint venture with former Rangers' chairman Sir David Murray. Ex-Rangers manager Graeme Souness has also had business dealings with the Gillespie family.

Four Gillespie brothers then set up the investment company GIL to try to cash in on the property boom a decade ago.

A multi-million pound office building in Ingram Street in Glasgow city centre became their flagship property.

GIL was sold to a company owned by one of the brothers, Steven Gillespie, in May 2006. Soon after that, relations broke down over allegations of "misappropriations."

A note attached to the accounts of GIL for the financial year ending March 2007 claimed that former directors owed the company almost £1.9m. Court actions claiming a total of £1.2m in damages from Graham Gillespie and his son, Scott, followed.

It was alleged that they were "in breach of their fiduciary duty" because of payments they had authorised and which had led to losses for GIL

Lord Hodge heard that Graham Gillespie made payments from company funds to a "professional gambler" that were for his "personal benefit" and to two aviation firms which were "not business expenses".

In a written ruling, the judge rejected claims by the father and son that disputed payments were either agreed by GIL or that the company had waived their right to try to recover the money.

Graham Gillespie was ordered to pay £127,040 to GIL, with interest dating back to the contentious take-over in May 2006. Scott Gillespie was ordered to pay £44,416 - again with interest.

In earlier hearings in linked litigation, Lord Hodge said four Gillespie brothers, Graham, Alan, Steven and Gary, had worked together in the open-cast coal industry and made "considerable sums of money".

The court heard that the brothers' relationships were "volatile" and there had been threats of violence.

Lord Hodge said: "In particular, Graham Gillespie assaulted Steven Gillespie in about 2000, fracturing his skull and causing him serious injury."

A bone of contention between the brothers was the use of GIL assets to promote other business interests. The family split saw Steven and Gary on one side and Graham, Alan and Graham's son Scott on the other.