Gregor Thomson, 38, has pleaded guilty to assault and robbery after he shot a taxi driver with a BB gun in Falkirk on 5 May 2026. A judge is now considering an order for lifelong restriction.
The case called at the High Court in Edinburgh on 13 October. Lord Harrower ordered a risk assessment and remanded Thomson in custody. The case is due back at the High Court in Glasgow on 7 January 2027. Thomson watched this week's hearing by video link.
What an order would mean
An order for lifelong restriction is not a term of years. Someone given one is released only when the parole board decides they no longer pose a risk to the public.
Prosecutors asked for the report. Lord Harrower said the legal test may be met, including whether Thomson would endanger the physical or psychological health of the public if he were free.
Defence advocate Allan MacLeod asked for an ordinary prison sentence. He said Thomson did not meet the test, described the attack as a moment of madness, and said Thomson bitterly regrets it. The court was told Thomson has borderline personality disorder, and that he has a young child.
Thomson has 24 previous convictions. In 2014 he was jailed for seven years for attempted murder.
The pick-up
The Herald named the driver as Sukhdev Dhami. He collected Thomson and a friend from outside a Chinese restaurant at about 10.30pm. They sat in the back and asked for a local pharmacy, telling him to make it quick.
Mr Dhami asked for £10 before he set off. Thomson's bank card was declined twice. Dash-cam footage then showed Thomson going through a bag for life.
Prosecutor David Fisken told the court that Thomson pulled out what the driver believed was a handgun, dark grey and real-looking, and said: "I am going to shoot you."
Mr Dhami took his phone and the car key, got out, and tried to lock Thomson in. That failed. Thomson got into the front and could not start the car. He confronted the driver again, said he was going to shoot him, and fired. Pellets hit Mr Dhami on the cheek and then the head.
Thomson grabbed the key and was hit by Mr Dhami before he could drive off. He struck the driver on the head with the gun. Mr Dhami then pinned him to the ground with an arm around his neck. Thomson bit his left arm. Mr Dhami punched him in the face. Witnesses helped hold Thomson until the police arrived.
The weapon was a BB gun. The court was told it was an imitation firearm that looked real. Mr Dhami suffered a fractured finger, eye injuries, a bite mark and bruising.