A 32-year-old man has been convicted of attempted murder after chasing a terrified police officer with a chainsaw while shouting obscenities.
A Terrifying Ordeal in Paisley
Liridon Kastrati, an Albanian national, was found guilty by jurors on Tuesday, November 25, following a frightening incident that left an officer fearing for his life. The event unfolded in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at approximately 1.30pm on May 6 last year.
Prosecutors outlined how Kastrati first rammed a car into a marked police vehicle. Following the collision, Pc Gary Cowan described how the airbags in the police car deployed. As he moved to arrest the man who had emerged from the driver's side of the VW, the situation escalated dramatically.
The Chainsaw Chase
Pc Cowan testified that when he was about ten metres away, Kastrati returned to his vehicle and retrieved a chainsaw. The 35-year-old officer told the court that Kastrati then held the power tool aloft and pursued him, shouting 'f*** the police'.
'I thought if I don't create distance, he is going to kill me,' Pc Cowan stated during the trial. He described his genuine fear that Kastrati would 'saw my arms off, chop my head off', leaving him utterly terrified during the chase.
Kastrati had denied the initial charge of attempting to murder four police officers. However, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted him on an amended charge of a single count of attempted murder of Pc Cowan. The amended charge also removed any reference to the initial car crash.
Sentencing and Aftermath
Several other charges, including breach of the peace, stealing a car, and motoring offences, were withdrawn by the prosecution, leading to Kastrati's acquittal on those counts.
Judge Gallacher has remanded Kastrati in custody ahead of his sentencing at the High Court in Paisley on December 19. The judge explicitly warned Kastrati to expect a 'significant penalty' for what he described as a 'very dangerous incident'.
Kastrati's defence barrister, John Scullion KC, had previously conceded that his client accepted removing the chainsaw from the car, swearing, and brandishing it at officers during what he called a 'frightening and distressing incident'. Kastrati has been held in custody for the past 18 months since the attack occurred.
