A dad who called NHS24 and told them he had bomb-making equipment and had booby-trapped his home sparked a huge armed police response.
Alan Whyte told the call handler he’d taken a concoction of Class A drugs and was going to harm himself and others, claiming he was armed with “guns and stuff to blow the place up”.
The 33-year-old told them that he had “stuff for making homemade bombs” and that he’d make “booby traps” for police arriving at his Buckie home.
His threats prompted a major police response and his neighbours had to be evacuated from their homes in Brodie Avenue, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
After a five-hour stand-off, police forced their way into his home and found the dad-of-two unconscious on his sofa.
Stated he had guns and booby traps
Fiscal depute Susan Love said a call handler at NHS Grampian called Police Scotland concerned about an ongoing call with Whyte at 6am on March 21 this year.
“He had called claiming he had taken cocaine and diamorphine,” she said.
“He also stated that he had guns, stuff to blow the place up and that he wanted to hurt himself and other people.
“He said he had stuff for making homemade bombs and at his home and that he would make booby traps for police attending.”
Firearms officers, a dog unit, negotiators and public order-trained officers were sent to his home in Brodie Avenue, along with the fire service and paramedics.
Whyte’s neighbours were evacuated from their homes while negotiators tried for more than four hours to contact him.
Found passed out on sofa
“Negotiators tried to make contact with Mr Whyte through his mobile phone but they were unsuccessful,” Ms Love added.
“At 10.20am entry was forced to the property and Mr Whyte was found be unresponsive and lying on the sofa.
“He was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma. His condition was described as life-threatening.”
He recovered three days later and was cautioned and charged before he told police “sorry, just sorry”.
Whyte’s defence agent Iain Maltman said his client had moved from Elgin to Buckie at the time and it resulted in him living near the grandparents of his children, who he doesn’t see.
“That had triggered an emotional response with regards to loss of contact with his kids,” he said.
“He was self-medicating with drugs to a high degree. He’s rightly ashamed and sorry for having acted in this way.”
‘Complete waste of time for everyone’
The solicitor said he hadn’t realised the extent of police involvement and that his client “does appreciate this was a complete waste of time for everyone involved”.
The court also heard how Whyte has been engaging with an existing community payback order of late and has been offered a spot in a rehabilitation facility.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov deferred sentence on Whyte, of Brodie Avenue, Buckie, for six months to allow him to get permanent accommodation sorted, be of good behaviour and to gain treatment at his placement.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
