A MAN has been found guilty of firing a shotgun in the town centre on a busy Saturday morning before Christmas.

Peter Henri Francis Botrel (54) blasted the side of a parked van with the weapon, damaging the vehicle and leaving traces of lead shot embedded in nearby buildings and doors on 13 December.

He used the weapon in Halkett Place to damage a van belonging to someone with whom he had a long-running feud.

Botrel was arrested soon after the offence and was held in custody until his trial this week.

Crown Advocate Steven Baker told the Royal Court that Botrel drove around the town in a distinctive American red Chevrolet and was seen on CCTV cameras.

He pulled up next to the parked van and, with the weapon hidden up his coat sleeve, fired it at the side of the van.

Evidence from forensic examiners explained that shot from the weapon had been found down the corridor of a nearby property which was used as a communal hallway to access flats.