
The High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, has sentenced 32-year-old Albanian Liridon Kastrati to 10 years in prison after he attempted to kill a police officer with a chainsaw, an event that the judge in the case described as something out of a horror film.
The horrific incident took place on May 6, 2024 in the Renfrewshire county of Glasgow. Kastrati was involved in an accident when he crashed into a police vehicle. He initially fled the scene of the accident, but then returned, opened the trunk of his car and grabbed a chainsaw. He started the vehicle and, shouting abuse at the police, began chasing Officer Gary Cowan along the road.
Judge William Gallacher said he was shocked by the use of a chainsaw as a weapon, but commenting on the footage from security cameras and bystanders' cellphones, he said it was all a real horror. The officer was forced to run a considerable distance, fearing the Albanian would 'cut off limbs' if he caught him.
The ten-year sentence is calculated starting from May 2024.
Immediately after the verdict was announced, Kastrati reacted aggressively in the courtroom, hitting the dock and cursing the judge, first in Albanian and then in English. “You’re a fucking terrorist,” he told the judge, before being escorted out by security officers.
Lini një Përgjigje