A man has admitted shooting another male with an air rifle at Aberdeen Harbour, as well as possessing a string of other firearms.
Mark Raymond recklessly discharged the air rifle at the Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project on Greyhope Road, striking Nasir Begum on the body with a pellet.
The 29-year-old also shot at a CCTV camera in the area, but was cleared of setting fire to a crane and a portacabin after prosecutors accepted pleas of not guilty to those allegations.
Raymond, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court via a video link from the jail, and pled guilty to a total of 12 charges.
He admitted a vandalism charge of wilfully or recklessly destroying or damaging a CCTV camera by discharging a firearm at it on December 31 2018, and to recklessly discharging an air rifle, striking Mr Begum with a pellet, on February 16 2019.
Raymond further pled guilty to possessing a number of firearms and ammunition at Girdleness Lighthouse, on Greyhope Road, on February 18 2019.
‘Four pneumatic air rifles’
He admitted possessing a folding shotgun, rifle ammunition, a Victory CO2 pistol, a Webley Raider rifle, an air rifle, and four pneumatic air rifles without the relevant certification.
Finally, Raymond also admitted failing to appear at court for an earlier hearing.
He had also faced three further charges, one of vandalism and two of wilful fireraising.
It had been alleged he wilfully set fire to a crane at the harbour expansion site on December 26 2018, as well as to a portacabin on the same date.
It was also alleged Raymond willfully or recklessly destroyed or damaged a perimeter fence at the development by cutting it.
However, the Crown accepted not guilty pleas in relation to these three charges.
Sheriff Philip Mann told Raymond: “I’m going to adjourn this matter to obtain a criminal justice social work report.
“As you are aware, these are very serious charges and I need a report to consider all available options, including a custodial sentence.”
The sheriff deferred sentence until March to allow time for the report to be prepared.
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