CIRCUS performer Hannibal Hellmurto stunned Glasgow onlookers as he claimed another world record … for sword swallowing.

He was hoisted upside down to complete the feat in Barrowlands before performing with The Circus Of Horrors last night.

Watched by Steff Mercury, one of the Sinister Sisters, he had to swallow as many swords as possible in a minute to secure his place in the record books - and he achieved it by swallowing nine.

February is traditionally the month where sword swallowers across Europe attempt to break records and raise awareness about the practice.

Hannibal, a former tax inspector, knows how to make an impact. He once pulled a four-ton truck 100 metres along Princes Street, Edinburgh, with just two meat hooks through his back. But his conquests have not been without mishaps and he has suffered several serious injuries pursuing his sport.

In 2007 he pierced his throat passage with a sword and spent four weeks in hospital, while in 2009 he swallowed a lit neon tube live on stage that pierced a gash in his gullet, putting him in hospital again.