Barbecue party ended in siege

Man attacked police with a cordless drill, crowbar, knives and a hammer

By Jamie Buchan

Published:

Police in riot gear, siege negotiators, uniformed officers and trained dogs were called to a north-east village street after a barbecue party ended in violence.

Officers were kept at bay for more three hours as Alec Cowie barricaded himself inside his home at Sandhaven, near Fraserburgh, armed with an assortment of weapons including a 3ft sword.

The 38-year-old attacked officers as they tried to arrest him and made holes in one of their shields, until the bit of his cordless drill dropped off.

He also used a crowbar, knives, a hammer and a bottle of unknown liquid – which he squirted at the officers – to evade capture. Cowie even hinted that he had a petrol bomb.

He also smashed the windscreen of a police car by throwing an ornament from his home.

Earlier, he had tightened a noose round the neck of a 27-year-old Christopher Beedie and started to drag him along the ground as he struggled to breathe, skinning his back.

Yesterday, Cowie appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh and admitted assaulting Mr Beedie, breach of the peace, culpably and recklessly throwing ornaments and assaulting police officers.

But last night, neighbours were quick to leap to his defence.

One said: “He was severely provoked that night. If I was him I would have done the same thing.”

On the evening of the incident – May 5, this year – the O’Brien family were hosting a barbecue in the front garden of their home, just two doors down from Cowie’s house. Mr Beedie was one of the guests.

The row began when people at the party began having a game of football in the street.

“They were kicking a ball off one of the older residents’ cars,” a neighbour said. “John – that’s what we know Alec as – told them to show a bit of respect for the elders and he got nothing but grief for it.

“After that, they were winding him up all night.”

Neighbours said Cowie put a dog lead around Mr Beedie’s neck and threw him to the street.

Two police officers called to investigate the attack approached Cowie’s home at number five. They retreated back to their car and called for back-up when he began shouting threats.

Moments later their windscreen shattered and they drove away to keep watch at the end of the street.

Cowie also threw another ornament at a window of a neighbour’s house.

Kelly O’Brien, 21, who was in the living room, cut an arm when she was showered with broken glass.

A resident said: “John shouldn’t have done that. It was really stupid.

“But I couldn’t believe it when the street began filling with riot police, armed with shields.

“They had dogs and negotiators and they had huge spotlights trained on the house.”

Members of Grampian Police public order unit arrived at the front door and linked their shields. The glass panel in the door broke, to reveal Cowie standing in the hall and brandishing a 3ft sword.

Finally Cowie was led away in handcuffs after giving himself up. The court heard his mother, who had been standing nearby, told him he would be all right.

“Hitting the police with a sword? I don’t think so,” replied Cowie.

Lord Kinclaven called for background reports and remanded Cowie in custody pending sentence in Aberdeen in October.