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A thug threatened to cut off a Labour councillor’s head while waving a running chainsaw.

Conrad Procter, 40, brandished the weapon at Paul O’Kane, 28, during last year’s General Election campaign, as the Labour man canvassed votes for former Scottish Party Leader Jim Murphy in Barrhead.

Paisley Sheriff Court was told Mr O’Kane, who is an East Renfrewshire Councillor, was with a group of party workers knocking doors in the Auchenback area of Barrhead when they fled in horror following the encounter.

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Mr Procter was working in his garden on April 6 when group heard abuse and threats fired at them including, “No one wants you here,” “Red Tories,” “f**k off” and “I will cut your f**king head off.”

The accused was found guilty after trial of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm and uttering threats while holding a running chainsaw.

The court heard how five canvassers wearing Labour Party rosettes and stickers fled from Divernia Way after jumping into their cars and driving away from the area after the accused came bearing down on them out of his driveway and entered the street while holding his chainsaw “aloft.”

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Mr O’Kane told the hearing, “I heard some shouting about the Labour Party. ‘Red Tories! Get out of here!’ and ‘no-one wants to speak to you!’

“The voice was aggressive. I saw the gentleman in his garden. I walked a few doors down.

“He said, ‘If you come over here I will cut your f**king head off!’

“He was holding an electric chainsaw. He turned it on. He held it aloft.”

The Labour man, who recently beaten into second place in the Scottish Parliamentary elections for Renfrewshire South, described the event as “distressing,” adding he “felt endangered.”

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Witness Christopher Quinn, 23 added: “Holding onto a chainsaw he said to us, ‘Come here and I will cut your f**king heads off’”

Both men identified the accused as the attacker, even though Mr Quinn had failed to pick Mr Procter out of a police identity parade, but later confirmed the aggressor was in the dock.

The trial was also told how Mr Quinn had given a statement to cops where he described Mr Procter as “bald” and either in his 20s or 30s, when the accused is older and has a full head of hair.

However, Fiscal depute Frank Clarke said the prosecution had proved their case because, “as both witnesses spoke to the same incident taking place when various elements are spoken of.”

Defence agent Raymond McIlwham said his client was a hard-working family man whose life would be seriously affected by the conviction.

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He said: “He is married man who has three children and is in full-time employment. This case has attracted publicity and his employers are well aware of it.”

Presiding over the trial Sheriff Seith Ireland tore a trip off the accused as the offence happened in the closing weeks of a General Election campaign.

He said: “The fact that this occurred during an election campaign when people are canvassing for votes matters not what party people are canvassing for and it matters not what party Conrad Procter supports, this can be seen as an aggravating factor. This is a serious matter.

“That this occurred during a General Election campaign is of concern to the public and of importance to the courts.”

He deferred sentence until next month for the purposes of obtaining a Criminal Justice Social Work report.

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