Jurors hear the victim’s arm was broken by fired bullet

Two Paisley men have been accused of involvement in a shooting that saw a dad being targeted just seconds after collecting his daughter from school.

Ross Sherlock, 35, said he was walking towards his BMW X5 when a man wearing fluorescent workmen’s clothing pulled out a gun and fired.

Yesterday, at the High Court in Glasgow, Mr Sherlock said he threw a golf umbrella he was carrying at the gunman and ran away.

He was giving evidence at the trial of William Burns, 56, and Alexander Porter, 48, both from Paisley.

They deny attempting to murder Mr Sherlock by repeatedly discharging a handgun at him on September 24, 2015, at Dornoch Place and Ronaldsay Drive, Bishopbriggs.

They also deny assaulting crime journalist Russell Findlay to the danger of his life at his home in the west end of Glasgow on December 23, 2015 by throwing sulphuric acid in his face.

The prosecution claims that these alleged offences were aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.

Mr Sherlock, who said he was a kitchen fitter at the time, told the High Court in Glasgow he was walking down the lane from St Helen’s Primary, in Bishopbriggs, chatting to another parent.

The men’s daughters were walking in front of them, handin-hand.

The jury heard the area was busy with parents collecting their children and with primary pupils coming out of school.

Mr Sherlock, from Glasgow, was asked by prosecutor Richard Goddard: “What happened then?” and he replied: “I noticed a gentleman with working clothes.

“They were fluorescent, I think yellow.

“He was coming from behind me and walked towards me. He pulled a gun out, hit me and I ran.

“He was less than 10 feet away. I just saw him coming towards me.”

Mr Goddard then put it to Mr Sherlock: “You threw the golf umbrella you had in the direction of the gunman.

He added: “Yes, as he was about to fire the first shot. The gun was in his pocket and I saw him pull it out. That’s when I threw my brolly.

Mr Sherlock went on to say the firearm was a handgun, which was “pretty big”. He also told the court he could not identify the gunman as he was wearing a hood and most of his face was not visible.

The jurors were told that Mr Sherlock was hit on the right arm and the bullet went clean through it, breaking his arm.

He also suffered a graze on his chest and said it was caused by the spent bullet hitting his side.

Mr Sherlock said two or three bullets were fired and it was the first one that hit him.

He spent five days in hospital and had to have an operation to have a steel plate inserted in his arm.

Burns has lodged a special defence of alibi in relation to the attempted murder of Mr Sherlock, claiming he was working at Guinea Enviro, in Maryhill, Glasgow, at the time.

He has also lodged a special defence incriminating James Boyce, whose whereabouts are unknown, for the shooting.

The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.