A 32-year-old man has been convicted of attempted murder after a shocking incident involving a chainsaw and a police officer in Paisley, Scotland. Liridon Kastrati was found guilty on Tuesday following a trial at the High Court in Paisley. The incident occurred on May 6, 2024, around 1.30pm, when Kastrati allegedly rammed a car into a marked police vehicle before brandishing a chainsaw at officers in broad daylight.

Initially, Kastrati faced a charge of attempting to murder four police officers. However, the charge was amended to focus on a single officer, Pc Gary Cowan. The court heard that Kastrati had denied the charges but was ultimately convicted of the amended charge. The reference to the car crash was removed from the charge.

On the same day, Kastrati was acquitted of four other charges, including breach of the peace and stealing a car, after the prosecution withdrew those allegations. He has been in custody for 18 months since the incident.

During the trial, Pc Cowan recounted the terrifying moments following the crash. He described how, after the airbag deployed in the police car, Kastrati exited his vehicle and began to flee. When Pc Cowan attempted to apprehend him, Kastrati returned to his car, retrieved a chainsaw, and pursued the officer while shouting, "f*** the police."

Pc Cowan testified, "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." He expressed his fear, stating he believed Kastrati would "saw my arms off, chop my head off."

Kastrati's defence attorney, John Scullion KC, acknowledged that Kastrati had brandished the chainsaw and injured Pc Cowan during the incident. However, he argued that the police investigation was flawed and lacked neutrality.

After three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on the amended charge. Judge Gallacher informed Kastrati that he would face a significant penalty for this serious offence. Sentencing is scheduled for December 19 at the High Court in Paisley, where the judge will gather more information before imposing a sentence.