A Glasgow-born photographer who watched his friend Robert Kennedy gunned down in the 1968 US presidential campaign fears Donald Trump's rhetoric could lead to more politically-motivated shootings.

Harry Benson, whose pictures of a dying Kennedy are among the most iconic of the last century, said the current Republican candidate may have put Democrat lives at risk.

Mr Trump said "second amendment people" could find a way to stop Hillary Clinton introducing tougher gun laws, adding: "That will be a horrible day."

The Herald:

Mrs Clinton accused Mr Trump of a "casual inciting of violence" and warned "words can have tremendous consequences".

Mr Benson, who has covered US presidential campaigns for more than 50 years, said he has never seen a campaign as "crazy" as Trump versus Clinton.

A retrospective of his work, including his pictures of Robert and brother John who was also assassinated in a shooting, has gone on display at the Scottish Parliament.

He told the Press Association: "I was friends with Bobby Kennedy and I followed him right through to his death.

"You can also see pictures of his wife Ethel in the exhibition. That was someone I knew, and still know, but you've got to do your job.

"I'm not there as a PR or part of their entourage. I'm there to record what I see and to inform."

He added: "I've photographed Donald Trump for 40 years. I did ten pages of photos of Trump for Time magazine last week. He hasn't changed.

"I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen anything so crazy. There was a bit of decorum in the other elections but there is none in this.

"Trump saying 'crooked Hillary' has turned off a lot of the public. What he might have done is get other people shot, Clinton supporters or people with a Clinton badge."

The Herald:

The retrospective includes photos of a young Hillary cosying up to husband Bill shortly before he received the Democrat nomination for president in 1992.

"I've followed Hillary over the years, and clever people who know what they are talking about say she is very competent," he said.

Mr Benson also admitted to a fondness for much-maligned President Richard Nixon and the most senior of his infamous "President's Men".

He photographed former attorney general John Mitchell celebrating after being acquitted of obstructing the Watergate investigation in 1974 and they discussed their shared fondness for Scottish vaudeville singer Harry Lauder.

He said: "I liked Nixon. It's very hard to be critical of someone who allowed you to do your job, even if he did say he didn't like my angle some days.

"John Mitchell was a funny guy. He loved Harry Lauder. I sang 'Keep Right On To The End of The Road' to him after he got off. He went to jail later though."

Mitchell was imprisoned for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury the following year.

The Herald:

Mr Benson also offered lukewarm praise to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post journalists credited with exposing the Watergate scandal whose images also feature in the retrospective.

He said: "The journalists I worked with in Fleet Street were better. They were more competitive."

Mr Benson also has a controversial choice for the person he would most like to photograph.

"I would like to do Putin," he said. "He's good looking, he's a smart guy and he's interesting. We haven't got many interesting leaders."

Mr Benson said it is "a great honour" to receive such a high profile retrospective in the country of his birth.