Petition on behalf of the family and friends of Alan Mitchell. Please sign and show your support so that we can let Alan know we stand with him.

Written by Caroline Duncan - Alan’s sister.

On the 1st Aug 2020 my brother acted completely out of character when he came face to face with the thug that stole his £1000 mountain bike. The culprit Gannon is well known in the Aberdeen area for shouting and swearing in the streets as well as committing theft, drug abuse and racial abuse. Alan saw red when Gannon started following him home, He wouldn’t leave my brother alone and even attempted to barge his way into my parents home. He was in the garden for some time which was causing a large amount of distress to my unwell Mother when my brother took matters into his own hands and produced a BB gun from the house (not his pocket as the Evening Express would have you believe). Gannon was shouting about being positive with COVID, spitting on my Father and Brother. This was an extreme worry for my brother as my Mother has COPD, bronchitises and on Oxygen 24/7. Gannon again tried to get into the house so my brother pushed him back and produced the BB gun to warn him to go away. There was no talk of using a the gun as a weapon, it was simply an extreme reaction out of sheer anxiety to protect his family who he has been caring for throughout the pandemic.

This is Alan’s very first offence, he is a quiet happy go lucky man that lives for his music and band. He has two lovely boys that mean the world to him. He looks after my Mum who is very unwell and has to be there constantly as she is prone to falling.. He also has an extremely anxious disposition and suffers from depression.
I feel that the courts didn’t know anything about Alan as a person, this was totally out of character and the threats of COVID was a factor with his choice of action. A more suitable punishment would have been for Alan to have the chance to pay back to the community, a chance to prove what a considerate and reliable man he is. Instead Alan was sentenced to 13 months in Prison whilst the Thief and aggressor in this situation was handed a 4 month term. This was not Gannon’s first prison term, he is a complete nuisance to society and the fact Alan was punished so severely has shocked each and every person that knows him.

If I can do anything to reduce the sentence or even get him released I will try my hardest. He is not a bad man, he just made a regrettable mistake the day that Gannon came face to face with him and threatened to harm our Mother and Father.