A police negotiating team had to be brought in when a man threatened to petrol bomb a street.
Alan Whyte had filled a whisky bottle with a flammable liquid and stuffed a cloth wick into the neck when police arrived at his home in Elgin.
The 34-year-old made a number of threats to officers during the stand-off, including that he would target their children.
He told officers: “I’ll torch your houses, your bairns as well, they’ll be screaming.”
Fiscal depute Susan Love told Inverness Sheriff Court that emergency services, including police, an ambulance and two fire and rescue units, were called to the Pinefield Apartments on January 24 this year after Whyte had sent a threatening message to his niece.
She said: “His niece got a text from him with a picture of a bottle with brown liquid and a cloth or tissue sticking out of the top.
“It was captioned ‘Kaboom, here we go, wipe out by my [sic] bye bye.’
Made gun threats
“She contacted him and he said he would blow up the street.”
The prosecutor said that when neighbours arrived at the apartment block he threw a bottle at them and then the police were called.
Ms Love added that Whyte shouted and swore at officers who tried to engage with him.
“But he refused, claiming he had a gun,” she said. “He had a lighter which he continued igniting whilst over and over saying ‘Kaboom.’
“Due to the threats and the fear he had a petrol bomb, police negotiators and a public order team were called.”
Ms Love said the area was cordoned off and Whyte continued to make threats to blow up his flat and set officers on fire.
“Entry was forced, he struggled with officers and made threats to ‘torch your houses, your bairns as well, they’ll be screaming,'” Ms Love said.
‘Your behaviour was appalling and frightening’
After arresting him police discovered his petrol bomb – a whisky bottle with a flammable liquid and a cloth wick.
Whyte appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court today and admitted a total of five charges, all committed in a two-month period which began on December 30 2021.
There were three charges of threatening behaviour, one of sending a menacing text and possession of an incendiary device.
He also pleaded guilty to a sixth charge of being concerned in the supply of 341.16g of cannabis – with a street value of £2,000 – on May 25 2021.
Jailing Whyte for a total of two years and six months, Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald told him: “Your behaviour was appalling and frightening and it ended up with a threat to bomb.
“You had made a petrol bomb and you caused fear to relatives and neighbours. This was exceptionally serious.”
Whyte’s defence solicitor Gary Foulis said his client expected to be jailed.
He added: “He was using copious amounts of illicit substances then and things spiralled out of control. His mental health was affected.
“This has been a salutary lesson to him. He is clean now and realises the distress he caused to the victims and the cost to the public purse for the emergency services being called out.”