A man armed with a vacuum attachment demanded a helicopter to London during a siege in Alness, a court has heard.
Hostage-taker Patrick Muldoon brandished the implement during an incident in the town’s Westford, claiming to have a firearm.
He had already held a knife to a man’s throat and made threats to kill his partner and stab police.
Muldoon, 24, appeared via videolink at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of threatening behaviour, abduction and assault as well as breaching a bail condition to stay away from his partner.
Fiscal depute Alison Young told the court that on November 15 police received reports of a domestic incident between Muldoon and his partner.
They went to a house in Westford where Muldoon was heard shouting and swearing at the woman in an aggressive manner.
The officers identified themselves and the woman came out looking “visibly upset”.
Muldoon then locked the doors before walking around the property shouting: “It’s a siege!”
He appeared at a window and said: “If anyone comes in I will stab them!”
The court heard that Muldoon grabbed a man who was inside the property and placed him in a headlock, stating: “I’ve a hostage – if police barge in the door I will stab him and the police”
He then began to damage the inside of the property.
Police asked the other man if he was able to get out but he told them he couldn’t, after which Muldoon grabbed a kitchen knife and held it to the man’s throat stating: “I’m going nowhere.”
“The accused was observed to repeatedly hold a knife to the throat of [the hostage]” Ms Young told the court.
Muldoon then went to the upstairs of the property and began shouting to his partner, calling her a “fat c***” and saying he would kill her.
He told police he had been released from prison and had come to Alness to “get his hole” – in spite of a bail conditioning preventing him from approaching or contacting the woman.
He then stated that he had a firearm in the house, before brandishing what was later confirmed to be a vacuum attachment. This resulted in a firearms incident being declared.
Negotiators were brought in and the accused made a number of demands, including a helicopter to take him to London.
The court was told the siege, which had lasted several hours, was eventually brought to an end at around 5am.
Solicitor Michael O’Neill for Muldoon, whose address was given as a prisoner in Barlinnie, did not address Sheriff Gary Aitken in mitigation as the sheriff deferred sentence for the production of reports.
The case will call again next month.