A RETIRED gangster has blasted armed cops for gate-crashing his first date with a woman almost half his age.

Ian “Blink” MacDonald's night out was abruptly halted when he found himself cuffed in front of his 31-year-old sweetheart.

Officers acting under a firearms warrant pounced on the 57-year-old as he left the city centre's upmarket Anchor Line restaurant.

They took him to his Townhead flat to search for weapons - but came up empty handed.

Ian said: "I am a well-documented retired member of the gangland community and I live a quiet life now.

"I'm known as the 'Giro Kid' but the quiet life suits me.

"I had been chatting up this young lady for a while so I didn't appreciate the police showing up on our first date."

The pair had been in a couple of city centre venues on Friday, May 4, including Browns and Metropolitan, before heading to the Anchor Line.

Shortly after 1am Ian and his date left the venue but within moments cops had him surrounded.

Ian said: "I'm not slagging the officers off.

"They did an excellent job with a professional manner and I want to give the police their due.

"It was a good take down and they had the handcuffs on me before I knew it.

"But this was pure persecution. I am on the giro. I am not involved in crime any more.

"This whole debacle is outrageous."

It’s not the first time Ian, who has a book about his gangland exploits coming out soon, has seen a romantic night out spoiled by police.

In 1991 he was busted by cops as he went for a meal at a Chinese restaurant with girlfriend Sheila Gourlay.

Ian, a former enforcer for feared Godfather Arthur Thompson, was sentenced to 16 years and served 10 for a botched £6million bank raid in Torquay, Devon in 1992, which saw a teller shot in the head.

In May 2009 gangland rivals tried to blow him up in his car, which was set on fire outside his home near Riddrie, Lanarkshire.

They then slashed his face and tried to cut his throat.

In 2013 he carried out a Community Payback Order for a bust up in Coia’s Cafe in Dennistoun over their coffee prices the morning after a marathon drinking session.

His latest conviction was in 2015 when he got two months for arguing with a passenger on a flight to Spain.

Ian's date, who is a year younger than his daughter, was unperturbed by the disturbance and the two have seen each other since.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "In the early hours of Saturday, May 5 2018, officers from Police Scotland stopped and searched a 57-year-old man in Glasgow City Centre following an intelligence led operation.

"A house on St Mungo's Avenue was also searched under a firearms warrant and no firearms were recovered."