A repeat offender has been convicted of shooting a man twice to the face with a pellet gun in an Aberdeen city-centre flat.
A jury of nine women and six men took just over an hour to find Aleksandrs Kolosovs guilty by a majority of the assault after a four day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Kolosovs had also been facing two further charges which alleged he was in possession of a BB gun at the East Neuk Bar, King Street, while making threats that he was going to shoot a sheriff.
It was claimed that Kolosovs, a prisoner in HMP Grampian, had been waving the gun around the bar in full view of all the customers there. When told to put it away, or face a possible jail sentence for having it there, it was alleged Kolosovs said he would “shoot the judge” if he was sent to prison.
However, the jury yesterday found these charges against him not proven by a majority and he was acquitted.
Sentence on the 30-year-old was deferred by Sheriff William Summers in order for background reports to be carried out into his character after it emerged he had a previous conviction for a similar offence.
However the Latvian national, who has lived in Aberdeen for more than 10 years, was warned it was “unlikely anything other than a significant prison sentence” would be imposed for the serious offence.
During the trial 37-year-old John Cooper told the court how Kolosovs took shots at his face with the replica revolver while they were in the accused’s flat on January 26 this year.
Mr Cooper said the attack happened on the first day they met after Kolosovs invited him to his home at the city’s Linksfield Court to play the guitar.
Once inside Kolosovs started shooting cans with one of his pellet guns before he turned round without warning and shot Mr Cooper twice to the head.
As a result he was left bleeding profusely as the ammunition remained lodged under his skin.
One of the pellets struck Mr Cooper directly above his left eye while the other hit him on his right temple.
Giving evidence, Kolosovs’ victim said he was sitting on a sofa in the living room when he was assaulted. He said Kolosovs remained expressionless when he pulled the trigger.
He said he noticed his face was bleeding and left the flat quickly because he did not know if the accused would use the gun on him again.
Mr Cooper said he was not expecting the attack and was “alarmed” by what had just happened.
He added: “By the time I got out that door, I just wanted to get the hell out of there.”