Published: Tuesday, 1st July, 2008 10:45
Sailors rounded on gun kid
By Court Reporter
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CLAIMS of a gun toting teen threatening three burly American sailors proved to be a slight exaggeration this week.
Ryan Wilson had admitted brandishing an imitation firearm when he and two friends were involved in a street scuffle with three American sailors based at Faslane.
However, the prosecution’s claims that Wilson had threatened to “blow their brains out” were dropped from the charge this week after the case was adjourned so the matter could be looked into.
Wilson, 17, was arrested after the US Navy personnel became alarmed by the gun, which fires plastic pellets using an air mechanism.
But it was accepted that Wilson pulled the plastic pistol because he was concerned about what the sailors might do to him.
And Sheriff Desmond Leslie agreed with Wilson’s lawyer, Brian MacGuire, that the gun had the look of a “child’s toy” and that it was not an illegal firearm.
Wilson was given 100 hours community service for the offence.
The circumstances surrounding the incident had been disputed by the Wilson’s lawyer two weeks ago, with an amended account relayed to the court on Thursday.
Iain Logan, fiscal depute, told the court a disagreement broke out between the sailors and a youth companion of Wilson’s at around 10pm on September 14 last year.
One of the sailors had picked up a mobile phone dropped by a female friend of Wilson’s, with the apparent intention to hand it back.
After some time, the Americans ran at Wilson who was further down the street, and he produced the gun, pointing it at them to ward them off.
Mr Logan told Dumbarton Sheriff Court: “The accused backed away some distance and the Navy personnel stopped him.
“At this point he was some distance away and was still brandishing the gun.”
Mr MacGuire, defending, said his client brandished the gun in the hope of stopping the Americans from coming at them.
He added: “What Mr Wilson should have done is run off, and he accepts this."
Wilson pled guilty to possessing an imitation firearm and breaching the peace by brandishing it in a public place.
In a separate incident, Wilson, of 181 Middleton Street, Alexandria, pled guilty to reset of a quantity of goods along with a juvenile at a house in Williamson Drive, Helensburgh, on January 30 this year.
Sheriff Leslie deferred sentence for six months to allow Wilson to demonstrate this was out of character.
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