AN IRATE voter was spared jail yesterday (WED) for threatening to kill a Labour councillor and chasing him down the street with a running chainsaw while the politician was campaigning.

Conrad Procter, 40, from Auchenback, yelled abuse at Councillor Paul O’Kane, 28, while the Labour man was out campaigning for former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy – telling him he would “cut his f****** head off”.

Sheriff Seith Ireland slammed him for his actions and said he had “troublesome attitudes” – then let him walk free from court after saying he had “come very close to going to custody”.

Tempers flared when Councillor O’Kane was canvassing in Procter’s home street on April 6 last year before last year’s General Election. Procter, a YES supporter who had an SNP poster in his window which he took down following the clash, yelled at Councillor O’Kane, who represents Neilston, Uplawmoor & Newton Mearns North on East Renfrewshire Council.

He said, “I’ll cut your f****** head off!”, while holding a running chainsaw, and chased him out of his garden and down the street. Giving evidence about the ordeal, Councillor O’Kane said: “I heard some shouting about the Labour Party. ‘Red Tories! Get out of here!’ and ‘no-one wants to speak to you!’

“The voice was aggressive. I saw the gentleman in his garden. I walked a few doors down. He said, ‘If you come over here I will cut your f****** head off!’

“He was holding an electric chainsaw. He turned it on. He held it aloft.”

Labour Party campaigner Christopher Quinn, 23, said Procter armed himself with the running chainsaw and pursued them, despite having failed to pick Procter out at an identification parade.

He explained: “Holding onto a chainsaw he said to us, ‘Come here and I will cut your f**king heads off’. He shouted abuse when we were first spotted.

“We crossed the road, that was when the chainsaw incident occurred – the person left their garden and came out in to the street with it.”

Procter denied behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm by shouting, swearing, acting in an aggressive manner, threatening violence while in possession of a running chainsaw and following Councillor O’Kane down the street whilst holding it, but was convicted following a trial at Paisley Sheriff Court last month and sentence was deferred for him to be assessed by social workers.

Defence solicitor Raymond McIlwham described his client’s conduct on the day in question as “unusual and very serious”.

He added: “He accepts involvement in this incident but he continues to dispute that any persons were pursued down the street - what he disputes is any movement by him outwith his garden area.

“He’s not stupid and fully appreciates how serious this is.

“Such behaviour simply can’t be tolerated in a civilised society.

“It was a gross overreaction fuelled by temper and fuelled by passion on Mr Procter’s part, which was totally misplaced and wholly unacceptable.”

He asked for leniency for his client, who had the threat of a 12-month jail term hanging over his head, saying he could carry out a Community Payback Order, would comply with a night-time curfew and was “willing to make compensation to the victims or the Labour Party.”

Sheriff Ireland said he was “persuaded just” that custody could be avoided, and placed Procter on a 12-month Community Payback Order and ordered him to do 200 hours’ unpaid work. as a direct alternative to custody, he said:

“What makes this offence serious is, of course, that it was committed during the currency of a General Election campaign,” he said.

“It matters not anyone’s own, individual, political beliefs - what’s important is that anyone’s and everyone’s political views must be respected in a civilised society, and especially during a time when the country is effectively choosing it’s Members of Parliament, Member of European Parliament or local councillors.

“We have the democratic procedure of elections which citizens can participate in and any of the politicians participating in can go round the houses by speaking to citizens in the voting area canvassing, as was the case here, without fear.

“A viable alternative to custody, in my view, will have a better effect on you as it will remind you of your duties to the public at large.

“You’ve got some troublesome attitudes so will be subject to supervision from the local authority.

“There is both punishment and restitution - you will carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work for the benefit of the community, within a period of 12 months.

“You’ll then be fulfilling that very important role to the community, given your voting rights, paying back to the community.

“You’ve come very close to going to custody.”

Procter, who was supported in court by his wife, showed no emotion as he learned he was being spared jail or that he still faces jail if he breaches his Community Payback Order.

Speaking about the incident before Procter’s trial began, Councillor O’Kane said: “I’m used to vigorous political campaigning but that level of intimidation and threat is disturbing.

“It was as if he wanted to chase us out of town.

“That is completely undemocratic. And to threaten someone’s life really is disturbing and quite upsetting.”