There was this Scottish guy called William Wallace and he's kinda

AN American mobster who turned informer against the Mafia has revealed a bizarre obsession with Scots hero William Wallace.

Michael DiLeonardo testified against Peter Gotti - the brother of cult crime lord John Gotti - in a high- profile case that gripped America for weeks.

And during the tense trial in New York City, DiLeonardo caused hysterics as he told how he styled himself on the 13th Century patriot after watching the hit movie Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson as Wallace.

DiLeonardo, who admitted in court he was inducted into the Gambino crime family in 1988, also confessed he became fascinated by Scottish history after watching the Hollywood blockbuster.

And he told how he bought a huge Saltire flag to commemorate Wallace's famous struggle against the English.

"There was this Scottish guy called William Wallace and he's kinda like a hero of mine. I know a lot about him," Di Leonardo told the court. "I saw a movie about his life and I just couldn't get him outta my mind. So I started reading everything I could about him.

"He fought the English and he wouldn't give in even at the end when they tortured him to try and get him to confess. I liked that. He was a stand-up guy."

DiLeonardo - now under a witness protection programme to ensure his safety - erected the flag in the sprawling lawns of his pounds 2million mansion in tribute to his hero.

And it was hinted in court that the gangster, known as Mikey Scars, wore a kilt at home, so great was his bizarre obsession.

In an attempt to discredit the witness, Gotti's lawyer Joseph Bondy asked DiLeonardo how he led such a lavish lifestyle with money from his former construction job.

He was asked how he paid for two luxurious marble statues that stood at the entrance to his home in Staten Island, New York City.

The informant raised laughs as he confessed he ordered them from a magazine which he often browsed to pick up stuff he needed for his house. The gangster said: "I had statues called angels of death outside my home that are supposed to keep evil sprits away, which I needed.

"I got them from this magazine that had lots of things you don't normally get in stores. I used it a lot.

"I also got a huge Scottish flag which I loved."

Amid uproar in the court, Gotti's frustrated lawyer snapped and asked DiLeonardo if he ever wore a kilt around his home.

But before he could answer, the mobster's lawyer shouted: "Objection" which was upheld by the judge.

Gotti's lawyer Joseph Bondy told the Sunday Mirror he was stunned by DiLeonardo's strange obsession. "It was a bizarre admission I must admit, definitely something I didn't expect to hear," he said.

"During cross-examination, he went off on a tangent about this guy William Wallace. I had never heard about him at all but I guess he means a lot to the Scottish people, just like George Washington does to us. I asked DiLeonardo if he ever wore a kilt which raised a few chuckles among the jury. It made for some light entertainment during what were very intense legal proceedings."

Peter Gotti was charged with conspiring to murder Salvatore Gravano - known as Sammy the Bull - who helped convict John Gotti on murder and racketeering charges in 1992. The 65-year-old, serving a nine years in jail for money laundering and racketeering offences, was also accused of extorting money from construction contractors.

After four days of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict at the US District Court in Manhattan. Gotti now faces a maximum sentence of up to 50 years.

The court heard Gotti ordered mob associates Thomas Carbonaro and Salvatore Mangiavillano to kill Gravano in his Arizona home. The hitmen's plans were only thwarted when Gravano was arrested on drug charges. Carbonaro was convicted last year of conspiring to kill Gravano.

Carbonaro, 56, who is known as Huck, was also accused of participating in the killings of two mafia associates suspected of being informers and with running a loan-shark business.

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