A gunpoint raid on four teenage boys camping in woods in Dundee was described as “sadistic” by one of the accused’s own defence agents.
Adam Parkin, Liam Scott, and Kieran McIntyre donned camouflage gear and put on fake English accents to rob the boys of phones, cash and cigarettes in a night raid at Baldragon Wood.
Parkin told one 15-year-old he would “blow his head off” and pressed the barrel of the gun to his head.
The crime went “beyond a prank and towards sadism” said Parkin’s defence agent Theo Findlay as a psychiatric report was called for. He said it was important to understand the “mind at work” during the incident.
Deferring sentence on Tuesday, Sheriff Lorna Drummond said she had concerns about the failure to recover the weapons used.
The category of air rifles with self-contained gas cartridges carries a minimum three-year sentence under firearms legislation.
She said: “These are offences that justify custody. This was a terrifying experience for these 14 and 15-year-olds.”
The four boys, then between 14 and 15, were camping near Clatto Reservoir.
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told the court previously: “A torch was shone into the tent and Liam Scott said, in what they believed was an English accent, words similar to ‘are you getting up then?’
“Adam Parkin, also speaking in an English accent, said: ‘Get out of the tent’.
“Three of the boys exited the tent. One was still sleeping and remained in the tent at this point.
“Adam Parkin, who was holding a torch in their faces and pointing a rifle towards them said words similar to ‘run and you will get shot’.
“He walked over to the tent and saw the boy still asleep within and said: ‘I’m giving you 30 seconds to get out of there or I’ll blow your head off’.
“The boy stated his phone was within the tent and Parkin told McIntyre and Scott to enter the tent and look for the phone.
“Parkin then pressed the barrel of the gun into the back of the boy’s head and told him to ‘go and get your phone’.”
After the boys handed over their possessions Parkin told them to go into their tent and that they were not allowed to leave the area until sunrise, or “they would be shot”.
McIntyre, 20, of Campbell Street, Scott, 19, of Eden Street and Parkin, 19, of St Dennis Terrace, admitted demanding the four boys exit their tent, shining a torch into their faces, presenting air rifles at them, threatening them with violence and robbing them of mobile phones, money and cigarettes at Baldragon Wood between March 7 and March 8 last year.
Parkin and Scott also admitted possessing air rifles on the same date.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond deferred sentence until January 19 for reports, including a psychiatric report for Parkin.