By Wilma Riley

A MAN has told a court he was shot by a gunman seconds after collecting his daughter from primary school.

Ross Sherlock, 35, from Glasgow, said he was walking towards his BMW X5 when a man in wearing fluorescent workmen’s clothes pulled out a gun and fired. He said he threw the golf umbrella he was carrying at the gunman and ran away.

He was giving evidence at the trial of William Burns, 56, and Alexander Porter, 48, both from Paisley, who deny attempting to murder him by repeatedly discharging a shotgun at him on September 24, 2015, at Dornoch Place and Ronaldsay Drive, Bishopbriggs.

They also deny assaulting crime journalist Russell Findlay to the danger of his life at his home in the west end of Glasgow on December 23, 2015, by throwing sulphuric acid in his face.

The prosecution claims these alleged offences were aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.

Mr Sherlock, who said he was a kitchen fitter at the time, told the High Court in Glasgow he was walking down the lane from St Helen’s Primary School chatting to another parent, Vincent Cassidy, and their daughters were walking in front hand-in-hand.The jury heard the area was busy with parents collecting their children and primary pupils coming out of school.

He was asked by prosecutor Richard Goddard: “What happened then?” Mr Sherlock replied: “I noticed a gentleman with working clothes. They were fluorescent, I think yellow. He was coming from behind me and walked towards me. He pulled a gun out, hit me and I ran.”

Mr Sherlock added: “He was less than 10 feet away. I just saw him coming towards me.”

Mr Goddard asked him: “You threw the golf umbrella you had in the direction of the gunman,” and he replied: “Yes, as he was about to fire the first shot. The gun was in his pocket and I saw him pull it out. That’s when I threw my brolly.”

Mr Goddard asked: “What sort of gun?” and Mr Sherlock replied: “A handgun.”He was then asked what size it was and stated: “Pretty big,”

The jury was told a bullet hit Mr Sherlock on the right arm and the bullet went clean through it, breaking it. He also suffered a graze on his chest and said they was caused by the spent bullet hitting his side.He said two or three bullets were fired and it was the first one that hit him.

He said he ran through gardens and ended up in to Ronaldsay Drive where he phoned his partner, Ashley McLaggan, who had waited in their car while he collected their daughter, and asked her to collect him. Mr Sherlock said: “I just asked her if our daughter was okay and I told her to come and get me.”

They drove to the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow to have his injury treated. Mr Goddard asked: “Did it cross your mind to phone the police?” and Mr Sherlock replied: “No, my object was to get to hospital to get treatment.”

Mr Mr Sherlock, who said at the time he was a kitchen fitter, was asked if he could identify the gunman and said: “No. When I saw him approaching me, I watched his hands more than anything.”

The court heard that Mr Sherlock was in hospital for five days had to have an operation to have a steel plate inserted in his arm.

He added: “I had to go and get my arm fixed after what the NHS done. Basically the plate the NHS put in was failing and my arm was pulling in the wrong direction.”

Mr Sherlock was asked if he had any difficulties with his arm and said: “It’s not 100 per cent. I get pain in my wrist and it doesn’t rotate the same and I’ve got scarring.”

He said he could not remember giving police a description of the gunman when he was in hospital.Burns has lodged a special defence of alibi in relation to the attempted murder of Mr Sherlock, claiming he was working at Guinea Enviro in Maryhill, Glasgow, at the time. He has also lodged a special defence incriminating James Boyce, whose whereabouts are unknown, for the shooting.

The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.