SACKED A&E DOC’S DEADLY ARMS CACHE
He intended to hurt ‘bad guys’ who bagged him
A DOCTOR caught with a cache of lethal weapons and an “assassination list” was last night facing a lengthy jail term.
Dr Martin Watt compiled a list of “bad guys” he blamed for his dismissal from Monklands Hospital in Airdrie and hatched a plan to “assassinate” them.
Yesterday, a jury at the High Court in Glasgow convicted the former A&E consultant of intent to endanger life.
Police found three Skorpion sub-machine guns, two Valtro pistols and bullets, including 57 dum-dum bullets, when they searched his Cumbernauld home after a tip-off last May.
They also uncovered the “bad guys” list, along with information on individuals’ addresses and car registrations.
The “template” for the attacks was based on the Robert De Niro film Killer Elite, about a group of mercenaries.
Watt also carried out target practice with a Skorpion sub-machine gun at a forest near his home.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice QC said: “All this was done in preparation for an awful event. There was an intention to endanger life, it was more than mere thinking about it.
“Dr Watt was harbouring a grudge and he sought out the home addresses of the key players in the disciplinary process. He collected a significant arsenal of lethal weapons and felt he had been unfairly treated.”
Yesterday, a jury took just 75 minutes to convict Watt. The first offender had already admitted possession of weapons and ammunition.
Watt had worked as a doctor for 32 years and was based at Monklands until 2012. He was dismissed following disciplinary procedures.
In evidence, Watt insisted he did not intend to kill anyone and claimed he was not a danger to the public.
He said that the people on the list were those involved in his “bullying, harassment and eventual dismissal”.
Watt admitted he had “assessed how to assassinate” people on the list and expressed his thoughts on paper. But he claimed he had no intention of ever carrying out the scheme.
Judge Lady Stacey deferred sentence until next month for reports and remanded Watt in custody.