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Campaigner claims to be threat victim
A campaigner against the £500m transformation of Portsmouth city centre says he was threatened with a gun and told to stop asking questions about the scheme.
Police have launched an investigation after Mark Austin said he was making his way to his car from his Commercial Road office when a man stepped out of the shadows with a gun.
The 51-year-old, who has been a vocal opponent of the plan to revamp the 'Northern Quarter' of central Portsmouth, said the gun was held to his head while the attacker warned him to keep quiet.
Mr Austin, from Southsea, said: 'It was a cold night so I had my head down and collar turned up. I was looking for my keys then suddenly there was someone beside me.
'I felt something prod into my shoulder and when I turned a man held a gun to the side of my head.
'He was saying things like stop asking questions, you're causing a lot of trouble for people that could lose people a lot of money.
'He said my friends and family would get hurt if I didn't keep quiet.'
The attack happened between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on Wednesday last week.
Mr Austin, who has delayed the Northern Quarter project by launching a series of legal challenges in the High Court, says the man was smartly-dressed and well-spoken, wearing dark sunglasses and a leather coat.
He added: 'He just walked off in the direction of Sainsbury's car park. I got in my car – I was really shaken.'
But he said the threats won't stop him asking questions about the project and challenging the right of the council to issue compulsory purchase orders to the owners of businesses on land required for the development.
A police spokeswoman said: 'On October 29 police received a report of an incident where a man was threatened in Portsmouth, and a handgun was allegedly present during the incident.
'The investigation is currently in the very early stages.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
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