Man jailed for 10 years after chainsaw murder bid on police officer

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to murder a police officer after chasing him with a chainsaw.

Liridon Kastrati, 32, was convicted of brandishing the power tool at officers in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on 6 May 2024, having denied a single charge of attempting to murder four police officers.

The Albanian national used an expletive and described the judge and Scotland as "terrorist" when the sentence was passed.

Police Scotland said the officer, PC Gary Cowan, was back at work after the "extremely traumatic" incident.

The 10-year sentence was backdated to May 2024.

Immediately after sentencing, Kastrati began banging on the dock and shouted at judge William Gallacher in Albanian.

Then in English, he used expletives and called the judge a "terrorist", adding "your country" is a "terrorist", before being led away by guards.

The judge had earlier described Kasrati's behaviour - chasing Cowan down the street for a "significant" distance while revving the chainsaw - as "seriously alarming".

"PC Cowan thought that if he did not get away from you that you would chop off his limbs and kill him," he said.

"It was obvious that you were in hot pursuit wielding a deadly weapon and showed little regard to anything or anyone else other than PC Cowan.

"In considering many incidents that I have over the years in Scotland, I have never encountered the use of a chainsaw as a weapon being wielded.

"Many might think that this was the stuff only of a horror film."

He said much of the incident was caught on CCTV or mobile phone footage and Kastrati had been intent on causing "catastrophic" harm before Cowan's colleagues arrived on the scene and helped to apprehend him.

Judge Gallacher said: "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 court previously heard that Kastrati was arrested and questioned without either a solicitor or an Albanian interpreter present.

He repeatedly made reference to the collision being a "car accident" when charges were read to him.

Kastrati had been remanded in custody for 18 months since the crash.

During a trial at the High Court in Paisley in November, Cowan said he was in a police car with a colleague when a Volkswagen driven by Kastrati crashed into the side of the vehicle and activated the airbag.

The court heard Kastrati got out of the driver's side, looked at the police car and "began to run away".

The 35-year-old officer said he approached Kastrati with the intention of arresting him.

But when he was "about 10m" away, the accused returned to his vehicle and got out a chainsaw before pursuing him while shouting obscenities.

Cowan recalled: "He was chasing after me with the chainsaw, holding the chainsaw up, running after me."

He added: "I thought if I don't create distance, he is going to kill me."

The officer admitted he was "terrified" and believed Kastrati would "saw my arms off, chop my head off".

Kastrati was arrested after the officers called for immediate assistance.

Cowan and his colleague, who were both injured in the initial crash, were treated by paramedics.

John Scullion KC, defending, told the trial jury: "Mr Kastrati accepts he removed a chainsaw from the car, he swore, he injured PC Cowan, he brandished the chainsaw at other officers during this frightening and distressing incident.

"You must convict him of those parts."

However, Scullion claimed the police investigation was "flawed" and "lacked neutrality and objectivity".

The jury returned a verdict after three hours of deliberation.

Speaking after the sentence, Ch Supt Rhona Fraser, Police Scotland's divisional commander for Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, said Cowan was back at work and doing well after the "extremely traumatic" incident.

"It was a very harrowing experience and my thoughts remain with the officer just now," she said.

"I want to acknowledge the courage shown by our officers.

"Their decisive actions, and those of an equally brave member of the public, quickly stopped Kastrati and contained the threat he posed.

"Every officer has the fundamental right to come home from each shift unharmed.

"They were simply doing their job and this is not something they should have to face."

Kastrati was earlier acquitted of charges of breach of the peace, stealing a car and driving offences after the prosecution withdrew the charges.