As a kid back in the 80s, my dad was thought of as something of a local “gangster”.

However, this one day, he’d picked me up after football and some guy was in the car with him. I didn’t know this guy.

They were arguing over something that I really can’t recall but I remember my dad suddenly grabbing the guy by the neck and smashing his head off the inside of the car.

I jumped back and in an instant, the guy pulled out a gun. I’m not sure if it was real but it was enough for my dad to recoil, especially when he pointed it at me and said he’d “blow my fucking brains out!”

I remember seeing fear in my dad’s eyes, probably for the first time as the guy slowly got out the car, then ran as soon as he was out.

Seeing guns in fairly rural Scotland was pretty unusual, unless for hunting purposes so I was shocked. My dad made sure I was ok but I could see his anger.

He told me never to tell my mum, which I never have but recent events have me thinking of it again so thought I’d get it off my chest!