Man Left With Arrow In Chest After Neighbour Tries To Kill Him With Crossbow

A man was left with an arrow hanging from his chest after his neighbour attempted to kill him with a crossbow.

Ralph Muir fired the weapon at Shaun Reynolds in their street in West Lothian, Scotland, and later told police he wanted to 'murder the people' bothering him at his home, according to the Daily Record.

Footage of the incident from May this year shows an arrow hanging from Mr Reynolds chest, while in another video, Muir can be heard shouting: "I'm not leaving here until you are dead."

Mr Reynolds, 46, was fortunate to avoid any serious injuries, but Muir, 31, is unlikely to avoid a lengthy jail term, having pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

High Court in Glasgow heard on Friday that there had been 'previous arguments' between the pair and, on the day of the attack, Muir spotted Mr Reynolds and pursued him with two weapons.

Prosecutor Owen Mullan said: "Muir was armed with a crossbow in each of his hands - he pointed one directly at Shaun Reynolds' chest.

"He activated the trigger firing it within an eight to 10 feet range of his chest.

"Shaun Reynolds was immediately aware of a sharp pain. He saw an arrow sticking out."

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Mr Reynolds pulled the arrow out of his chest and firearms police arrived at the scene to arrest Muir, who also had a knife, baseball bat and chainsaw in his house.

After being detained, Muir told police: "All I remember is having two crossbows. All I wanted to do is murder the people that were causing me hassle.

"I have crossbows for my defence...and with them, I can kill."

Mr Reynolds' injury was described as 'superficial', however a medic said a crossbow had 'the potential to cause life threatening injuries'.

Muir is due to be sentenced in Edinburgh on 13 December.

Last year, a grandmother from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, claimed she shot a masked intruder with her crossbow after a gang of men burst into her home with a machete.

Anji Rhys said she took the bow from her wall when the four men smashed their way into her home, mistakenly believing it was a 'drug den'.

South Beds News

Speaking to The Sun, she said she was watching TV when she heard a noise like 'an explosion'.

"I ran to see and was met by a masked man with a hammer," she told the paper.

"He was about 6ft 6in with a blue bandana hiding his face.

"The gang chased me into the living room so I grabbed my crossbow from the wall. I had a tussle with a second man with a machete, a skinny man who walked with a stoop.

"One tried to grab me but I shot him in the belly. Then they ran."

Topics: UK News, crime, Scotland

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey