An employee-from-hell regularly pulled a loaded shotgun on his boss and tortured him with a dog chain during two decades of systematic violent abuse. Ronald McLennan has been locked up after a jury found him guilty of putting his employer's life in danger during the 20-year bullying campaign.
Full details of the incredible working relationship between McLennan and his boss, Ian Robertson, were revealed during a trial at the High Court in Dundee. The jury heard about incidents of water-boarding, death threats, car crashes, watery open graves and torture scenes reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs.
Evidence was also aired about plots to blackmail Mr Robertson into handing over nearly £40,000 by threatening to report his business practices to the authorities. McLennan, 52, Charleston Village, Forfar, had faced a total of 19 charges on indictment, relating to incidents between April 2000 and April 2019.
Thirteen of the charges were removed after a no case to answer submission, but the jury found McLennan guilty on four of the six charges which remained. McLennan, who has recently been working for an Aberdeen -based construction company, was remanded in custody and sentence was deferred to the High Court in Aberdeen next month by Lord Hughes.
"It is quite clearly the case you have now been convicted by the jury of what are very serious matters indeed, involving shotguns," he said.
"Charge six [involving the dog chain] is an incident which would have caused particular distress to the complainer. The jury have found that what you did was to the danger of that person's life.
"They are very serious matters and that will be reflected in the sentence in due course. Due to the gravity of the offences you will be remanded in custody."
The court was told that McLennan, who has no previous criminal convictions, had worked for Mr Robertson in the construction industry for 20 years. Mr Robertson told the trial he was regularly hit with weapons and was left terrified on a number of occasions when McLennan pulled a loaded shotgun on him.
He also admitted that McLennan - who had several shotguns - had been allowed to keep the weapons partly because Mr Robertson had given him a reference to provide to police. Mr Robertson described how, on one occasion, McLennan angrily confronted him and placed a dog chain round his neck to torture him.
McLennan pulled the chain tight as his employer gasped for breath and Mr Robertson, from Forfar, said he fell over as he fought for his life. The jury found McLennan guilty of breaching the peace by brandishing a loaded shotgun at Mr Robertson and threatening his family on various occasions between 1 April 2000 and 6 October 2010.
They found him guilty of punching and kicking Mr Robertson on the head and body, and striking him with metal bars and pieces of wood, between April 2006 and 19 April 2019. The victim was left with a series of injuries.
McLennan was also found guilty of attacking Mr Robertson with a dog chain during a single incident in the Angus town between 20 March 2008 and 31 December 2014. He was convicted of pulling on the chain and compressing his neck, causing him to fall, to his severe injury and danger of life.
Finally, the jury found McLennan guilty of brandishing a loaded shotgun at Duncan McLennan and threatening him with violence on an occasion between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2008. They removed a reference to him discharging the shotgun above his victim's head.
The jury returned not proven verdicts on charges of assault relating to incidents in March 2006 and in Montreathmont Forest in March 2008. The charges which collapsed during the trial included McLennan extorting £30,000 from Mr Robertson by threatening to report him to the Health and Safety Executive, and £8,200 by threatening to report him to HMRC.
An allegation that McLennan drove a truck and plough towards a van driven by Mr Robertson was also removed before the jury retired to consider verdicts. Water-boarding by putting a rag in Mr Robertson's mouth and pouring water on it, and tying him to a chair, punching and slapping him and brandishing a drill, was also scrapped.
McLennan was also formally cleared of causing a van to roll down a hill and into a river, and driving a car at his boss and trying to strike him. He was also cleared of hitting his victim with a digger bucket, and throwing him into a flooded trench and stamping on his head and body to severe injury and danger of life. The Crown asked for three shotguns and cartridges to be forfeited.
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