Facing jail, driver who tried to kill four garage workers in payment row

A DRIVER who tried to murder four men at a garage after being told only card payments could be accepted for fuel was warned he faced a lengthy jail sentence yesterday.

Charlie Tunstall repeatedly drove a stolen car at mechanics during the attack.

Ewan Burt was thrown backwards and landed on concrete at Bob’s Mechanical Repairs, at Birnam, in Perthshire, bleeding from head injuries, with his eyes rolled back. One of his colleagues told the High Court in Edinburgh: ‘I thought he was seconds from death.’

Tunstall, 25, had denied attacking and attempting to murder Mr Burt, Robert McMahon, Owen McMahon and Robert MacDonald in the attack on January 14, 2019, but was found guilty of the offence.

Judge Lord Mulholland told Tunstall, from London, following the jury’s verdict: ‘It is a very serious charge.’

He told Tunstall that it would inevitably result in a lengthy jail sentence.

The court heard that the VW Golf Tunstall was driving was stolen in Enfield, north London, in November 2018 and later recovered in the Waltham Forest area in February 2019, with a dent on the boot lid.

The vehicle bore false registration plates when it was used in the attack at Birnam and was seen minutes later at a petrol station in Perth with different fake plates.

Robert McMahon, 42, said Tunstall drove into the premises and made an inquiry about paying for fuel with cash. Tunstall began swearing after he was told it was card payments only for the petrol pumps, which were a separate business. Threats and abuse

‘Seconds from death’

were hurled at the garage staff before the driver began reversing aggressively.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the incident.

Mr McMahon said that after Mr Burt – who has been left with no memory of the attack – was struck by the vehicle, there was a lot of blood.

Tunstall, who has previous convictions for car theft and conspiracy to rob, was identified by several witnesses. He was remanded in custody for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on August 22.