Filming for a documentary about people’s experiences of crime in Glasgow was interrupted by an attack taking place in the city centre – leaving the American tourist being interviewed shocked.
The woman, who was visiting Glasgow city centre, had been stopped on Gordon Street by filmmakers to ask if she had witnessed any crime. The perpetrator of the assault, which happened just offscreen, was apprehended by police at the scene and the woman recounted what she had seen when filming resumed.
She was taking part in the new Crime+Investigation channel series True Crime Secrets which takes to the streets of UK cities to hear the public’s first-hand accounts of being a victim or witness to a crime.
The woman, who had never witnessed a crime before arriving in Scotland, said: “I have been standing here and I just witnessed an assault on the sidewalk.
“I got here yesterday and I witnessed a shoplifting yesterday. So between witnessing a shoplifting and then the assault just right now, it kind of makes me feel a little sad. It’s a little unnerving.”
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Others interviewed in Glasgow for the short-form documentary series told the filmmakers about stabbings, muggings and shoplifting incidents which had taken place in the city.
One man said he witnessed someone being given a ‘Glasgow smile’ – a knife wound caused by making a cut from the corners of a victim’s mouth up to the ears, leaving a scar in the shape of a smile.
He said: “It was on Buchanan Street around midnight. He was in his late teens and he was crying. I don’t think the police found whoever did it. It was quite tense.”
Another man told how he had been robbed in the city centre by two men posing as police officers. He said: “I thought they were two undercover guys because they stopped me and were searching me.
“Then they put a needle to my neck and said ‘Don’t move’ and robbed me. They took about £100 off me.”
A former offender also told how he turned his life around after being convicted of a robbery and involvement in drug dealing. He said: “I was looking at a four year sentence for a robbery and an attempt to supply a Class A substance.
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“It could have totally ruined my life but the judge let me out on a tag and I was able to turn my life around.
“I was lucky enough that the judge had enough empathy to let me out and give me one last chance.”
A spokesperson for the Crime+Investigation Channel said: “We’ve taken to the streets of Glasgow, Liverpool and London to hear the public’s first-hand stories and find out what we really think about crime, misconduct and control.
“With genuine accounts of real-life experiences, we hear straight from the source the true crime secrets that people hold on to. All interviews featured are personal accounts told by the general public, taken at face value.”
The Glasgow episodes of True Crime Secrets will be available on the Crime+Investigation channel’s social media accounts from January 19.