Two brothers have been jailed after a shotgun blast in a city street where residents were getting ready to celebrate Christmas.
George and Martin Smart were in a car which stopped on a busy road before a gunman jumped out and fired off a round before reloading.
One local who had been wrapping presents described seeing him “actually shooting at another car”.
The Smarts had originally denied attempting to murder Graeme Hunter by discharging the double-barreled shotgun at him on December 23 last year.
But on the second day of their trial at the High Court in Edinburgh the Crown amended the charge to one of culpably and recklessly firing the stolen weapon while acting with another.
Twenty-two-year-old Martin Smart admitted the reduced charge and was jailed for three years yesterday.
Both brothers admitted a further charge of illegally having a loaded Beretta shotgun in a public place and 25-year-old George Smart was jailed for nine months.
The court heard George, of Cummings Park Crescent, Aberdeen, was known as “Gocky” and that Hunter was involved in an ongoing feud with him.
On the night of the shooting, Hunter, who was 25 at the time, sent a text message to his girlfriend saying that he was “awa to take Gocky oot”.
Advocate depute Lynsey MacDonald, prosecuting, said Hunter sent another text saying “Am awa to kill him x”.
When she asked who he was going to kill, he replied: “Gocky x.”
The prosecutor said: “The reason for the feud is unknown, but relates in some way to an accusation by Graeme Hunter that the Smart family are ‘grasses’.”
Hunter was a rear seat passenger in a Volvo being driven down Provost Rust Drive when he saw a Ford Mondeo being driven by Martin Smart, with his older brother among the passengers, travelling in the opposite direction.
Ms MacDonald said: “The silver Volvo turned in a side street and drove back up Provost Rust Drive in pursuit of the blue Mondeo.”
The younger brother drove off the road and across a wide grass verge before stopping and firing a single shot as the Volvo drove along the main road. The shot did not hit anything.
Hunter was detained by police the following day and denied firing a gun.
He refused to name those responsible and claimed he did not know who they were.
George Smart was later detained and denied having discharged the shotgun.
He later told officers it was in the Woodside area of the city and led them to the weapon.
Ms MacDonald said Martin Smart, of Seaton Drive, Aberdeen, was identified as a suspect following DNA testing of the firearm.
George Smart’s counsel, advocate Lorenzo Alonzi, said it was accepted he did not fire the gun and was not aware of its presence until it was used.
Martin Smart’s counsel, advocate Bill Adam, said he was an immature young man.
He added: “There were genuine threats coming from a very threatening source.”
Judge Graham Buchanan QC told George Smart, whose previous convictions include possession of a machete, that the version of events accepted by the Crown indicated his involvement in the offence was “very much towards the lower end of the scale”.
He told the younger brother: “I take the view, without much hesitation, that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
The court heard the Beretta shotgun was among items stolen from a house in Peterculter in October last year following a break-in.
Katrina Anne Paul told the court that she had been at home in Provost Rust Drive on the evening of the shooting wrapping Christmas presents when she looked out the window.
She said: “I could see a car with the headlights facing into the house and a man standing with a gun beside the car.
“He actually shot it at another car that was driving down the main part of the road.”