Alva entrepreneur jailed for five years

Published 10 Feb 2010 12:04

AN ALVA entrepreneur who turned up at his former business partner's work with a gun and threatened to "pop" him has been jailed for five years.

Frank Schyvens said he wanted revenge and later told police that he set out to frighten Michael Kartono who he believed was behind a campaign targeting him.

Schyvens (51), of Silverburn Gardens, had received threatening letters, seen signs for a new business vandalised and been warned of debt recovery action over phone accounts which had nothing to do with him.

He believed Mr Kartono was responsible for the campaign - a claim denied by his former business partner who was not at the firm on the day that Schyvens arrived, the High Court in Edinburgh heard on Monday.

But the judge pointed out that two employees of the business who were present were subjected to a "terrifying" ordeal.

Lord Mackay told Schyvens, "The background to the commission of these charges is unusual, however the charges are serious.

"You committed these charges following a history of ill feeling between Michael Kartono and yourself."

The judge said he accepted that when Schyvens committed the offences he was suffering "from a measure of stress and anxiety" that had been caused at least partly by his belief that Mr Kartono (45) was behind the behaviour.

But he added, "That does not excuse what you did." He said that despite a number of hearings in the case he was unable to determine where the truth lay on a number of factual matters in the case.

Lord Mackay told Belgian Schyvens that he would have faced a seven-year prison sentence for the assault on the employees at furniture retailer Belgica UK, in Grangemouth Road, Bo'ness, in West Lothian, but for his guilty pleas.

Schyvens, who had been drinking, went to the premises armed with a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver and rounds of ammunition on March 2 last year.

He was wearing a motorbike helmet and brought the gun out from inside his jacket. Two staff, Stuart Edmonston and Joan Todd, were working in the premises and Schyvens asked where Mr Kartono was after seeking to have cameras turned off.

Mr Edmonston told him he was not present and Schyvens became agitated and said that if he was here he wouldn't hesitate and added he would pop him straight away.

He pushed Miss Todd towards the front door and all three got into Mr Edmonston's car and Schyvens told him to drive.

But in Kinneil Road, Bo'ness, the driver noticed a police van in his rear view mirror and moved into the middle of the road and slammed on his brakes before getting out with his female colleague and running to the police vehicle.

The road was cordoned off and armed police and dog handlers brought in. Schyvens emerged from the car and threw the gun into the road before a police dog took hold of him. He was later taken to hospital with an arm injury.

The court heard that the victims were in fear of their lives during the incident and that the woman employee was unable to return to work at Belgica.

Schyvens earlier admitted committing an assault on the employees during which he produced a handgun and compelled them to get into the car, illegally possessing the weapon which had its serial number erased and possessing ammunition.

When he was detained he was found to have 13 cartridges in a pouch, a holster, pairs of gloves and a hammer.

Defence counsel Lorraine Glancy said Schyvens was a man of previously good character and added, "It appears clear that throughout his life he has been a hard-working man who has done well for himself."

After moving to Scotland to settle with his Scottish wife Schyvens helped found Belgica in 2002, but resigned in March the following year as company secretary before going on to set up another business importing and selling continental furniture.

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