A BUDDHIST lecturer who shone a laser pen at Captain David Traill’s helicopter the day before he crashed into the Clutha has dodged jail – over a hate campaign against Jews, other Buddhists and medical professionals.

Knightswood man Colin Lochrie, 32, described himself as “a radicalist zen monk” who hounded religious organisations and behavioural experts with abuse.

The details emerged this week when Lochrie appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to be sentenced over a series of phone calls he made in July 2014.

Procurator fiscal depute Scot Dignan explained: “He left a voice message for the Glasgow Reform Synagogue [in Newton Mearns] which was of a threatening nature.

“He indicated he was from Golden Dawn London and complained about the manner in which they conducted their faith.

“He phoned James Alexander, a psychotherapist, as he [Alexander] was walking along Sauchiehall Street.

“He [Lochrie] said, ‘give up your profession, otherwise the consequences will be dire – you have been warned’.”

Lochrie then phoned the Buddhist group the Western Chan Fellowship, in England, and left a voicemail for their secretary, Alysun Jones, also a clinical psychologist.

Mr Dignan explained: “He said he was ‘a radicalist zen monk’ and instructed her to give up her profession.

“He stated, ‘we are watching’ and this caused her great distress.”

All the calls, between July 10 and 13, 2014, were made from Lochrie’s mobile phone.

Lochrie, of Kirkton Avenue, Knightswood, admitted his guilt last year while behind bars for his Clutha helicopter laser pen stunt.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of sending messages or leaving voicemails which were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.

Sheriff Colin Pettigrew deferred sentence until a date when he should have been released from prison to see if he could stay out of trouble.

But he ended up serving another jail term – when he was caught with a knife disguised as a credit card – and the case had to be adjourned again.

And, when he returned to the dock to learn his fate, Sheriff Pettigrew allowed him to walk out of court as a free man.

He placed him on a Community Payback Order, as a direct alternative to custody, requiring him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the next nine months, reduced from 180 hours as he admitted his guilt. He also ordered him to be supervised by social workers for a year and to return to the dock in June to monitor his progress on the order.

Last year Lochrie was jailed for 14 months at Glasgow Sheriff Court for targeting Captain Traill’s helicopter on November 28, 2013, as it flew over his west end home.

Captain Traill was forced to take evasive action to save his vision being affected by the green light that repeatedly lit up the cockpit.

Police officers on the helicopter were able to alert police on foot and went to Lochrie’s flat.

Lochrie answered the door and told officers “I was shining the laser at the helicopter because I wanted to see what it was doing.”

He handed over the laser, said “It wasn’t meant to put people in danger” and was arrested.

Defence lawyer Ian McLelland said at the time: “His position is he heard the helicopter and thought something may be happening and used the pen in an effort to see that more clearly.

“He had bought the pen from Amazon as he used it when he occasionally gave some lectures to friends in relation to Zen Buddhism.

“He always presents as somewhat eccentric both in the person and in thought processes.”

Sheriff Totten told Lochrie: “The tragedy one day later demonstrates what can happen if for any reason a pilot can not maintain full control of his aircraft when it’s flying over the city.

“That has to include the pilot being able to read all of his instrumentation without distraction and take appropriate action without delay to what that shows and for that reason, this is a serious matter.”

On November 29, 2013, 10 people, including Captain Traill, lost their lives when the police helicopter he was piloting crashed in to the Clutha Vaults pub beside the River Clyde.