Top cop probed over Scots shotgun siege claims is cleared of wrongdoing

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A top cop probed over claims he asked a man to hide a shotgun after a siege has been cleared of any wrongdoing.Scott Smith told the Record last year how a man barricaded himself in a loft and was making threats to police officers.The 43-year-old said he helped officers talk to the man, who was known to him, before claiming to discover a shotgun hidden in the attic.He told the Criminal Allegations Against Police Division (CAAPD) that a senior police officer asked him to either conceal or dispose of the weapon at the scene.But an investigation by the division has concluded there is not enough evidence to take action against the officer.Scott, from Holytown in Lanarkshire, said: “Myself and the officer clearly have different statements about what happened that day.“I had absolutely nothing to gain from lying about this.“It’s just been a nightmare.

We’re lucky we all escaped with our lives.”Several police units were called to the incident in Lanarkshire after a member of the public raised the alarm.Scott raced to the property and was initially not allowed to enter but claims he was later told he could talk to the man in the attic. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. He told how his “whole world collapsed” what he saw a weapon through the hatch door and continued to persuade the man to come down to ensure the safety of everyone involved.It was then he says he alerted a senior officer who was at the scene that there was a gun in the loft.Scott claimed the officer “went berserk” when shown the gun and was asked to tell officers taking his statement that he found it under a cover, before also being asked if he could “get rid of it”.He said at the time: