Two men are to face jury trial accused of brandishing a spinning angle grinder at a man’s head in an alleged £10,000 extortion bid.
Dylan Armstrong, 20, and William Armstrong, 39, are said to have seized their alleged victim, dragged him, pushed him, plugged in an angle grinder, turned it on, and then brandished it at his head while it was running and walked towards him, forcing him back into a corner.
It is alleged they then brandished secateurs towards the man, seized him, attempted to prise his fingers open, threatened him with violence and “by these means” they demanded he gave them £10,000.
In the alleged incident, the two accused are said to have been acting together with the intention of menacing him and placing him in a state of fear and alarm and apprehension of violence being inflicted on him, in an attempt to extort the money.
The incident is said to have taken place at an address in Stuart Drive, Drymen, Stirlingshire, on October 30, 2020.
William Armstong faces a second charge of statutory breach of the peace, alleging he uttered threats of violence and acted in an aggressive manner likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm, at an address in Buchanan Smithy Terrace, Drymen, two days later, on November 2, 2020.
At Stirling Sheriff Court yesterday, the two accused, both of Drymen, pleaded not guilty to assault and attempted extortion.
William Armstrong also pleaded not guilty to the alleged statutory breach of the peace.
Continuing bail, Sheriff Keith O’Mahony set trial for September 5 at Falkirk Sheriff Court.
The two men were also ordered to appear at a procedural hearing at Falkirk on June 1st (2022)
