Perth teens waste police time with gun lies

Sep 18 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

TWO Perth teenagers sparked a major firearms alert in the city after claiming a man brandished a gun at them in his house in the Letham area.

Eighteen-year-old Leon McLean, of Strathtay Road, also told police that his girlfriend had the weapon pointed at her in a house in Tweedsmuir Road.

When the Tayside Police Critical Incident Manager in Dundee was informed of the incidents, he immediately dispatched a Firearms Unit and a dog handler to the city.

And officers carried out extensive inquiries for almost 24 hours before discovering the claims were a total fabrication.

McLean and Garry Shaw (18), of Cooper Drive, both admitted wasting police time on April 12 by falsely accusing Alan Band, of Tweedsmuir Road, of committing a firearms offence by having a hand gun in his possession and brandishing it at them – and others.

Depute fiscal Janine Bates said that because of the “serious nature” of the allegations, both were taken to Perth Police HQ to give formal statements.

The CID were also contacted and went to the house in Letham.

Both accused stuck to their story but police became suspicious when they interviewed McLean’s girlfriend.

She denied having a gun pointed at her but said she had made an allegation “of another nature” against Alan Band.

No details of that were given in court.

McLean was again questioned and he admitted making up the firearms story because of the allegation made by his girlfriend.

When Shaw was again interviewed, he also came clean. But that happened 21 hours after the police were initially alerted.

Solicitor Neil Davidson said that Shaw had been undertaking a 12-week Prince’s Trust course and had performed well.

Shaw also pled guilty to assaulting Raymond Tiffin in Newton Place, Perth, by punching him on the face and throwing a beer can at him at his home on March 21.

He admitted a further charge of resetting 14 computer games at Gamestation, Perth, on March 21.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said the charge of wasting police time caused him the most concern, particularly as the deception had lasted almost 24 hours.

Shaw was ordered to carry out 120 hours of community service and he was told to pay Mr Tiffin £50 compensation for his bleeding nose.

McLean will be sentenced on November 4.