A man has been handed unpaid work for threatening to burn down the Evening Express office and shoot the editor – because he was not happy with a story.
The Evening Express published an article on a court case after Ian Scott admitted calling police and threatening to blow everyone’s heads off in Inverurie with a shotgun in August last year.
But when the 55-year-old saw his name and address in the article he dialled 999 again to voice his anger.
He threatened to go to the newspaper’s offices with a shotgun and kill the editor.
Yesterday fiscal depute Alan Townsend told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At 1.22am on July 23 the accused called 999 on his mobile and spoke to members of staff at the police control room.
“During the call he confirmed his name and address had been printed in an Evening Express article.
“He was not happy with the article containing his name and address and further details of an incident in August last year.”
Mr Townsend told the court Scott said he would “burn the place down” referring to the office at Marischal Square.
The fiscal said Scott also “made threats to kill the editor” including: “I’ll kick his head all
over the street until he dies.”
Scott also said he would “hunt down” the person responsible for the story and “give them a hiding”.
He added: “Why do that to me? Nobody wants anything to do with me.”
Scott was not present at court due to suffering a broken kneecap, but previously pled guilty to making a phone call to police in which he made threats of violence.
Defence lawyer John McLeod said his client had a problem with alcohol and mental health difficulties.
He stressed that the threats were empty.
Sheriff Ian Wallace ordered Scott, whose address was given in court papers as Stoneyton Terrace, Aberdeen, to be supervised for 18 months “for the purpose of addressing the cause of his offending and promoting future good behaviour”.
He also ordered Scott to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work within the same period.
The sentence was imposed as a direct alternative to a custodial sentence.
In July Scott was handed a £400 fine for a similar offence, in which he phoned police to advise he was going to shoot everyone in Inverurie with a shotgun on August 8 2019.
On that occasion, he had mixed alcohol with prescription medication and was still on the call to 999 when officers arrived at his house.
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