An Elgin man who opened fire on a group of children with a paintball gun in revenge for them playing knock-door-run has been ordered to pay his young victims compensation.
Joe Taylor, 29, admitted the “gangster-style” attack on three youngsters – two 12-year-old boys and an eight-year-old girl – and now has 28 days to pay each of them £250.
They had been playing knock-door-run – also known as chickenellie and ding-dong-dash – when they turned up at his home.
As revenge, he chased after the children in his car before cornering them in a car park, where he then opened fire with his paintball gun, leaving them “covered in bruises” and terrified.
The mum of one of the victims said the incident had traumatised the children.
Last month Taylor agreed to a late plea bargain and admitted to three of the four charges against him – firing the weapon at the schoolchildren on January 20 this year.
The mum of one of the boys – who cannot be named for legal reasons – previously said she was relieved her son did not have to give evidence as part of a trial.
‘What kids haven’t played knock-door-run before?’
She explained that the group had been “innocently” playing knock-door-run but events had taken a turn for the worse after they had knocked on the door of Taylor’s home in the town’s Bain Avenue.
She said: “What kids haven’t played knock-door-run before? We’ve all done it. Our son admits he did kick the door too, but he went back to apologise when he saw how angry he was.”
However, the apology was not accepted, and Taylor then got into his car and began chasing the children – who were on foot.
“The kids made a run for it,” the mum explained. “But he managed to corner them in a car park. He rolled his window down and opened fire with the paintball gun.
“At first, they did not know it was a paintball gun – they were all terrified. He was hitting out indiscriminately – my son said it was ‘gangster style’. He shot all the kids. The wee girl was shot in the neck – her skin was broken and bleeding – they were all covered in bruises.
‘He showed no remorse at all’
“The bruising was close to their faces, and they were all really shaken up by the whole thing. We are relieved now that they didn’t have to give evidence – but we have had this worry and anxiety about it thinking they would have to.”
The mum went on to say that she and the mother of one of the other boys went round to Taylor’s house to confront him.
She said: “He’s got one of those camera doorbells, so he didn’t actually come to the door. We asked him if he had shot at our kids, and he just laughed. He showed no remorse at all.”
The parents then contacted the police to report the incident.
“They weren’t hurting anyone”, she went on. “I’m just so relieved that it didn’t get dragged through the court – the whole thing has just been very traumatic.”
Sheriff Fleetwood sentenced Taylor to a compensation order to pay £250 to each of the three children and gave him 28 days in which to do so.