Lybster man found not guilty of gun threat in street

Lybster man Ricky McPhee has been cleared of threatening to shoot a young couple while they were on a walk through his home village.

Twenty-one-year-old Charlie Bryde told a jury at Wick Sheriff Court of his shock when a man pointed a pistol at him and his partner and threatened to shoot them.

The healthcare support worker said they did not know if the weapon was real or not.

After 25-year-old McPhee left, Mr Bryde said his partner reported the incident to police.

McPhee pleaded not guilty to assaulting the couple and uttering threats to shoot them in Shelligoe Road on August 30, 2023.

McPhee, of Shelligoe Road, also denied threatening or abusive behaviour and making offensive remarks towards Mr Bryde and his partner.

After evidence from three Crown witnesses, Sheriff Neil Wilson accepted a defence submission that there was no case to answer and McPhee was found not guilty.