Chainsaw-Wielding Attacker Receives 10-Year Sentence for Attempted Murder of Police Officer
A violent attacker who pursued a police officer with a running chainsaw in what was described as horror film-like scenes has been sentenced to a decade in prison. Liridon Kastrati, 32, launched a shocking outburst in court immediately after receiving his sentence, shouting at the judge and calling him a terrorist.
Horrific Attack in Paisley
Kastrati was convicted of the attempted murder of PC Gary Cowan following a terrifying incident in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on May 6, 2024. The court heard how Kastrati had been driving a car that crashed into a police vehicle before he attempted to flee the scene.
Judge William Gallacher, sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow, revealed the chilling details: "You started it up and roared the engine of the chainsaw. As you did so, you shouted an abusive remark about the police."
Officer's Terrifying Ordeal
The judge described how Kastrati then chased PC Cowan down the street for a significant distance while revving the chainsaw. The constable ran away fearing Kastrati would chop off his limbs, with much of the ordeal captured on CCTV and mobile phone footage.
PC Cowan testified during the trial: "He was chasing after me with the chainsaw, holding the chainsaw up, running after me. I thought 'if I don't create distance, he is going to kill me'." The officer added that Kastrati shouted f*** the police during the pursuit.
Courtroom Outburst
Immediately after receiving his 10-year sentence, Kastrati began banging on the dock and shouted at Judge Gallacher in Albanian before switching to English to declare: "you're a f****** terrorist" and "your country is a f****** terrorist". He was subsequently led away by court guards.
Defence Arguments
Defence counsel John Scullion KC argued that Kastrati had acted spontaneously and impulsively following the car accident. He claimed there had been significant deletions from the original charges, including allegations that Kastrati had driven the car at police officers.
Mr Scullion explained that the chainsaw was in Kastrati's car for a gardening job and that his client had panicked due to his immigration status, acting in an irrational manner. The defence lawyer described Kastrati as remorseful and highlighted his lack of previous criminal record.
Judge's Grave Warning
Judge Gallacher delivered a stark assessment of the potential consequences: "Your behaviour caused significant harm but the potential could have been far worse. If PC Cowan had not been able to run fast enough or if he had stumbled and fell, the scene could have been one of carnage."
The judge added that he had never encountered the use of a chainsaw as a weapon before, remarking that "many might have thought this was the stuff of horror films."
Additional charges including breach of the peace, car theft and motoring offences were dropped during the legal proceedings.
