Nesting man admits firing rifle in his living room

Shooting a gun into a living room ceiling led to an appearance from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court for 44-year-old Alan John Reid today.

Reid, of Bayview, Skellister, South Nesting, pleaded guilty to recklessly discharging a Browning .30-06 bolt action rifle and firing one round of ammunition into the living room ceiling of his home yesterday.

Reid is the holder of a firearms certificate which was issued on 29th July last year, one of the conditions of which is that firearms and ammunition must be stored securely. Reid pleaded not guilty to a charge of storing ammunition in an insecure writing bureau and this was accepted.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said the incident was out of character and there were “real concerns” about the health of Reid, who has already made an appointment to see his GP.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said firing the “powerful weapon” when drunk in the confined space of the family home was a “recipe for disaster”.

Sheriff Philip Mann said discharging the gun was a “very serious offence” and deferred sentence for reports. Releasing Reid on bail, the sheriff added the special condition that Reid must not be in possession of a firearm or any weapon and warned that any breach of this condition would be taken extremely seriously.