Detectives probe day of violence

Police appealed for witnesses to any of the incidents to come forward

Police are investigating three attempted murders and an armed robbery after a series of unrelated violent incidents in a Renfrewshire town.

Two men were assaulted in an unprovoked attack outside a pub in Johnstone in the early hours of Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, a man was left in a serious condition after being assaulted by a group of young males.

And a short time later, a suspect brandishing what appeared to be a firearm robbed a shop in High Street.

Strathclyde Police described the earliest incident, outside the Silver Tassie pub in High Street at 0115 GMT on Saturday, as a "vicious and unprovoked attack" on two men, and said they were treating it as attempted murder.

One of the victims was taken to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow after suffering serious head injuries. The other male suffered facial injuries and was released from hospital after treatment.

The victims, aged 44 and 39 respectively, are not thought to have been together before the attack, and police are treating the assaults on them as two separate incidents.

Their attacker was described as being a white male, aged in his mid-20s with a stocky build, short fair hair and wearing grey clothing.

Badly shaken

Detectives were also investigating a separate attack at 1445 GMT on Saturday, where a 34-year-old local man was knocked to the ground and attacked by a group of four young males, all thought to be aged in their late teens, in Maple Drive, Johnstone.

He was taken by ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital where his condition was described as "serious."

And at 1520 GMT on the same say, a male brandishing what appeared to be a firearm walked into the Top Cards shop in the town's High Street and demanded cash from two female members of staff.

The suspect then fled with a three-figure sum of money.

No shots were fired, and the staff members were badly shaken but otherwise unhurt.

The suspect was described as being white, in his late 40s, approximately 5ft 6in tall and with a slim build.

He had a dirty appearance and was wearing a green jacket and woolly hat.

Police have appealed for witnesses to all of the incidents.