Man who chased PC with a chainsaw goes on rant at judge during sentencing

A man who tried to murder a police officer with a chainsaw called the judge a ‘f****** terrorist’ after being jailed for 10 years.

Liridon Kastrati banged on the dock and began shouting at the judge after he was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.

He was convicted early of attempting to murder PC Gary Cowan in Paisley, Renfrewshire on May 6 2024 in what the judge called ‘stuff of horror films’.

Kastrati chased the officer with a chainsaw, shouting f*** the police’, after he crashed his Volkswagen car into a police vehicle.

Immediately after his jail sentence was announced, Kastrati shouted at Judge William Gallacher ‘you’re a f****** terrorist’ and ‘your country is a f****** terrorist’.

During the earlier trial, PC Cowan told the court he initially approached Kastrati to arrest him but soon found himself running for his life.

He said: ‘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.’

Kastrati, 32 from Albania, was handed a 10-year sentence today by Judge Gallacher, backdated to May 2024.

During sentencing, he told Kastrati: ‘I have never encountered the use of a chainsaw as a weapon being wielded. Many might have thought this was the stuff of horror films.’

Describing the CCTV and mobile phone footage of the attack, judge Gallacher added: ‘It was obvious that you were in hot pursuit, wielding a deadly weapon, with little apparent regard for anything or anyone else other than PC Cowan.’

He continued: ‘If PC Cowan was not able to run fast enough or if he stumbled and fell as he ran away from you, the scene could have been one of carnage.’

Kastrati eventually stopped running and put the tool on the ground before he was sprayed with pepper spray by PC Coan.

Charges of breach of the peace, stealing a car and motoring offences were dropped by the prosecution during the trial.

Kastrati had denied the allegations at trial, but his lawyer said he accepted that he had brandished the chainsaw in what was a ‘frightening and distressing incident’.

Earlier in defence, John Scullion KC claimed his client had the chainsaw in the car for a gardening job.

He said that his client suffers from stress and acted out of fear over his immigration status.

Scullion added: ‘When questioned by the police he referred to mental health saying that he suffered from stress which caused him to make poor decisions. 

‘He conflates the police to anyone with authority in relation to his immigration status.

‘He accepts responsibility for behaving as he did.

‘He understands that he caused significant fear, alarm and distress to those at the scene and has expressed remorse for his behaviour.’

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