Police have welcomed the sentencing of three masked men convicted of attempted murder using an axe and knives.
Brandon Wilson, 22, Brandon Douglas, 18, and Martin Gemmell, 28, were locked up for a total of almost 30 years yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow.
The violent trio were found guilty of trying to kill Allan Roy in Fraserburgh last November.
They were masked when they stormed his home and demanded cash before the victim was struck with an axe and knives.
The trio denied the crime during a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen last month.
Wilson was yesterday locked up for seven years for attempted murder.
Douglas was sentenced to 10 years and three months with Gemmell jailed for 10 years for the crime as well as a separate attack in Boddam.
Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Martyn Thomson said: “These incidents are extremely rare to happen in these particular communities and they would have rightly shocked the people who live in them.
“Thanks to the efforts of the officers who led these extensive investigations though, and thanks to the support and information we received from local residents, these violent individuals were brought to court and will now need to spend significant lengths of time in prison.
“North Aberdeenshire is a safe place to live and we want it to remain that way, therefore when incidents like these happen, thorough inquiries are carried out until those responsible are identified.
“Once again this week we hope the significant sentencings at court send out a very clear message that such violent behaviour will not be tolerated.”
During the trial, Wilson – who was in a relationship at the time – insisted he hadn’t committed the offence, claiming he was cheating on his girlfriend when it happened.
He told jurors he had gone to see another woman, and asked what the pair did, he replied: “We were sleeping with each other.”
Quizzed whether there was any truth in the allegation, Wilson added: “I was not there.”
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