A FIREFIGHTER has told how he and his colleagues came under attack from bottle-throwing vandals at an unofficial Guy Fawkes event in Larkfield.

The part-time Gourock-based volunteer was sitting in the back of a fire engine when a volley of glass missiles were hurled at it, a trial at Greenock Sheriff Court heard.

Teenager Aiden Stewart is being prosecuted on a multi-faceted charge which alleges he threatened a priest and threw fireworks at emergency services vehicles during an illegal display which took place during the coronavirus lockdown.

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Stewart, 18, is accused of being part of a disorderly mob — including children — and is said to have damaged ambulance, fire and rescue and police vehicles.

The firefighter witness, 30, told the court: "Some in the crowd were restless because of our presence and a situation occurred whereby the appliance was attacked.

"There was a group in the crowd throwing glass bottles and one of the bottles hit the appliance.

"The officer in charge made the decision to leave the situation and contact Police Scotland."

The court was told that the fire engine retreated to the car park of Inverclyde Academy where the firefighter picked out one person from an emulator sheet of images of potential suspects.

He said: "He was the only one I recognised because he was wearing a bright orange jumper."

Prosecutors say that Stewart, of Banff Road in Greenock, targeted a priest for verbal abuse during an alleged threatening and violent course of conduct at various locations, including Auchmead Road, St Andrew's Church, Oxford Road, Lincoln Road, and Burns Square.

He is accused of committing the series of alleged offences on November 5 of 2020.

The trial, before Sheriff Sheena Fraser, has been adjourned part-heard until January 25.