Clydebank man accused cop of being secret IRA member

Barry McCashin even turned up at Clydebank police office with a hammer in his trousers to get arrested so he could attack someone in custody.

The 43-year-old appeared from custody at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on February 27 over two previous crimes and admitting a third.

On August 4, 2022, at about 10.30pm, staff at Asda in Clydebank called police about a man causing issues.

Officers found McCashin walking along Dumbarton Road and tried to engage with him.

But he immediately became hostile, shouting comments such as, "What do you c***s want?" and making threats.

He said: "I've got a metal bar on me and it's going over your f***ing head."

The threats continued en route to Greenock police office with McCashin stating, "Up to our knees in Fenian blood" and "No surrender to the IRA".

He claimed he had a knife in his sock.

On September 27, 2023, he was at home with another person watching football.

Concerns had been raised about his welfare and police were asked to attend.

Officers contacted him by mobile phone and cops explained why they were calling.

McCashin was belligerent and asked the caller: "Where's that accent from? Irish?"

The officer said he was from Northern Ireland.

"You could be a terrorist," replied the man. "You could be IRA pretending to be a police officer."

He continued to make racist comments to the officer, who offered to let him speak to another officer. The abuse continued and the criminal stated: "You could be the New IRA acting as the police."

Cops attended his home and he initially refused entry, making similar comments to them through the door while laughing. He was later arrested.

On January 14, 2024, he contacted 999 several times, saying "f*** the Pope" in a call at 10.30pm.

About 10 minutes later, he called again and said Helen Street police office was getting bombed if he was not arrested.

Officers turned up at his home and arrested him and as they were taking him to a station, he freely stated: "Aye, I was full of it".

Then on January 31 2024, at 4.40am he turned up at Clydebank police office and told the front desk he was "there to hammer a male he believed was in custody".

"He said he had a hammer concealed on his person," heard the court.

Officers put McCashin in handcuffs and searched him, finding a hammer tucked into the right-hand side of his waistband.

"He freely said he was looking for a male who hurt his daughter," said the prosecutor. "He planned to get arrested to get access to the male in the custody suite."

He previously admitted acting in an aggressive manner, shouting, swearing and repeatedly uttering threats of violence and offensive and sectarian comments towards to police on August 4, 2022.

McCashin further admitted making repeatedly 999 calls when there was no genuine emergency on January 14, acting in an aggressive manner, swearing, uttering sectarian remarks and uttering a bomb threat. The crime was aggravated by religious prejudice.

And he accepted he had a hammer at the police office on January 31.

At the hearing last week, he pleaded guilty that from his home in Dumbarton Road, on September 27 last year, to acting in a racially aggravated manner intended to cause alarm or distress to a person in respect of their duty and repeatedly make racist remarks to an officer.

Defence solicitor Brian McGuire said his client was "well aware" jail was a distinct possibility.

He said: "With his actions in January, he appears to be asking for help. He clearly needed some assistance and he was going about trying to secure that in a not-too-intelligent way."

He said the crimes had a "distinct nuisance value" but did not involve harm to others.

McCashin was under "considerable stress" at the time Mr McGuire argued that his client needed support to "stop the cycle".

Sheriff Frances McCartney sentenced McCashin to a total of 328 days backdated to February 1.

She told him: "Given your record and you are on a community payback order, there's no alternative to custody."