Man found guilty of the attempted murder of a police officer

A 49-year-old man has been found guilty of the attempted murder of a police officer who was investigating drug crime in Glasgow.

Wenjie Yu, aged 49, (pictured below) was found guilty at the High Court in Paisley on Thursday, 18 November. He was also found guilty of drug offences along with an accomplice Wang Wen, 31.

A number of officers were investigating organised drug crime focused on the west end of Glasgow when a suspect car was seen in Devonshire Gardens Lane on Tuesday, 21 July, 2020. They approached the car and asked the driver and passenger to step out of the vehicle.

Yu ignored the instruction and deliberately drove at Police Constable Neil Kerr, 37. The officer was thrown over the front of Yu’s Mercedes onto the road and sustained a serious head injury and leg injuries that required treatment in hospital.

Detective Chief Inspector John Morrison, of Police Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “This was a deliberate act by Yu that resulted in an officer doing his job being seriously injured. Fortunately he has recovered and returned to duty and that is a testament to his commitment to the work being done to combat organised crime.

“Yu is clearly a very dangerous man and we welcome his conviction which sends a clear message that assaults on officers will not be tolerated in any form.

“Over a number of years there has been an increasing number of reports of assaults on officers and staff. This can cause physical and psychological harm to those who are dedicated public servants and coming under attack should not be part of the job.

“The Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has made it clear that violence against officers and staff is utterly unacceptable and should never be seen as simply part of the job. He has outlined his commitment to reducing the impact violence has on our officers and staff and to introducing measures to improve their safety."