Wick man jailed for shooting threat

TWO YEARS FOR DEATH THREAT ACCUSED

A COURT heard of the “chilling” moment a father brandished an air pistol in front of his partner and warned her, that if she tried to cut him off from his son, he would shoot her.
John Begg (21) issued the ultimatum at his home in Murchison Street, Wick, the town’s sheriff court was told, today.
He admitted the death threat charge on indictment and a number of previous convictions and was jailed for 26 months.
It was stated that Begg and his partner, Sarai Munro, had split up, but got back together and the accused again got access to his son.
On March 12,this year, all three were at Begg’s home and the arrangement was that the boy was to stay overnight with him.
Procurator fiscal, Alasdair Macdonald said that during the course of the evening, the accused’s behaviour began to get ‘volatile’ and he produced an air pistol and demonstrated how it worked.
The fiscal continued that the accused told Ms Munro that he had acquired a gun and that if she ever refused him contact with the child or took him away from him, “he would shoot her”.
Mr MacDonald continued: “Her knowledge of firearms is very limited and she had little conception about what the gun could do. It was quite a frightening experience for her.”
Solicitor Neil Wilson said that Begg had felt hurt when he could not see his son when the couple were apart and had gone to a solicitor to see if he could secure formal contact
But he was seeing the boy after he and his partner were reconciled, things were improving between them, and there was “no good reason” for his behaviour, said Mr Wilson.
Sheriff Andrew Berry said that the incident must have been “a horrifying experience”for Ms Munro and added that, given he was getting access to the child, his behaviour “made no sense whatsoever”,
He added:“You made what can only be described as chilling comments and you were in a position where you might have used the gun.”
The gun and ammunition was ordered to be forfeit.