Man who threatened Syrian neighbours with a gun in court

The Scottish Sun reports on the trial of a man who threatened his Syrian neighbours in Glasgow by pointing a gun at them.

William Harvey, 28, pointed the weapon at Said Shekhe and his friends during the incident outside a flat Dalmarnock area of the city last November.

Glasgow High Court heard that Mr Shekhe was with five fellow Syrians outside his home when an “aggressive” Harvey confronted them.

Prosecutor Bernard Ablett told the court the men “could not understand what [Harvey] was saying.”

Harvey continued in his aggression by kicking one parked car before “leaping onto another and booting it.” He then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the men from just six feet away. 

Ablett said the victims “described being in fear for their lives”.

Harvey returned to his flat in the street, and police were contacted. Harvey was arrested early the next morning when officers found the handgun hidden under the stairs. According to the paper, officers found the weapon “loaded with one live cartridge”, though Mr Ablett said there was “no evidence” to suggest the gun had been loaded at the time of the incident.

The paper reports that Harvey has previous convictions for crimes involving religion, sexual and racial aggravations. The court heard he also suffered “from personal issues including post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Harvey pleaded guilty to four charges in court, including possessing a firearm with intent to cause others to believe violence would be used. Judge Lady Rae deferred sentencing for preparation of reports.