A would-be carjacker was caught by police after he claimed to have a firearm near a city centre toy store.
Ellis Williams, 21, had contacted the emergency services and informed them he had a shotgun near Smyths Toys in Inverness and was planning to shoot himself with it.
But when officers went looking for Williams, they found him attempting to force a couple from their vehicle with a screwdriver.
Williams appeared via videolink from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of assault with intent to rob and possession of an offensive weapon.
Man claimed to have gun near toy store
Fiscal depute Susan Love told the court that it was just before 7pm on January 1 of this year that authorities received a call from Ellis who “stated he was in the area of Smyths Toys, was in possession of a shotgun and intended to shoot himself”.
Shortly after this, a couple returned to their vehicle in the Strothers Lane car park and turned on the ignition to defrost the windscreen.
As they did so, Williams approached the vehicle holding what they believed to be a knife and demanding their keys.
The driver of the vehicle resisted Williams’ demands and grabbed the keys from the ignition, before attempting to reason with the would-be carjacker and telling him to go home.
When this did not work the man struck out at Williams.
Carjacking attempt left victims ‘terrified’
Police, who were searching for Williams following his earlier call, then arrived on the scene and instructed him to drop the weapon, which was later discovered to be a screwdriver.
The fiscal depute told the court that neither of the vehicle’s occupants was injured during the stand-off however, both were “terrified”.
Solicitor Shahid Latif, for Williams, reserved his comments in mitigation for the sentencing hearing, which was deferred until next month for the production of reports.
Sheriff Sara Matheson granted a motion for forfeiture of the weapon and remanded Williams, whose address was given as a prisoner in Barlinnie, until the next calling of the case.
