A man armed himself with knives, a kettle and cleaning powder and told police: “This is going to be the biggest siege Elgin has ever seen.”
Colin Grant barricaded himself inside his ex-partner’s Jasmine Drive home last May.
He told officers: “I’m going to kill the first one of you through that door – or you will have to kill me.”
The incident, which involved a firearms response unit, ended when Grant fell unconscious after taking “street valium” tablets.
Grant, 44, appeared via video link from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court during a hearing this week.
He admitted charges of threatening and abusive behaviour and assault in relation to the incident on May 25 of last year.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that Grant had gone to the house to ask for his bank card back.
He had given the card to the woman the week before on the understanding that she would use the money to buy gifts for their children.
But when Grant learned she had spent the £700 in the account doing just that he “became aggressive”.
He took a bottle of vodka from a cupboard and starting to drink it.
‘I won’t be leaving unless it’s with the blues and twos’
The woman who lived at the property asked Grant to leave.
However, he told her: “I won’t be leaving unless it’s with the blues and twos.”
Another female present grabbed Grant by the arm to try and get him to leave, but was pushed to the floor.
When Grant’s ex went outside to alert the authorities, Grant said: “If she is phoning the police she is getting decked.”
The woman felt “unsafe” and went to a neighbour’s house.
A further physical altercation between Grant and the other female then took place within the house.
Police attended the scene and saw the second witness flee the property crying and in “severe distress”.
Hospital checks confirmed she suffered soft-tissue damage to her wrist.
Ms Hood told the court: “The accused then appeared at the front door of the house.
“On seeing police, he ran back inside and shut and locked the front door and patio door.
“The accused then walked back and forth inside the house shouting: ‘Come on then!’ to officers.”
Grant was seen drinking alcohol and taking a number of tablets before taking knives from a kitchen drawer.
The fiscal depute told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald: “He placed two knives down the waistband of his trousers and held a knife in either hand.
“The accused then shouted: ‘I’m going to kill the first one of you through the door – or you’re gonna have to kill me’.”
He stated: “This is gonna be the biggest siege Elgin has ever seen.”
Sugar kettle threats made during Elgin siege
Grant continued to threaten officers and barricaded the front and back doors using cardboard boxes and a sofa.
He then boiled a kettle of water and poured in a bag of sugar.
Gramt told police he would “throw it on the first officer who entered the property,” the court heard.
He also grabbed a bottle in the kitchen – later found to be cleaning powder – and claimed it was acid that he would throw on officers if they went in.
“Eventually, the earlier pills appeared to take effect and the accused became unsteady on his feet, falling unconscious in the living room,” Ms Hood explained.
She detailed how firearms officers cleared the house before providing first aid to Grant.
He was taken to Dr Gray’s hospital where he was later deemed fit for release into police custody.
Solicitor Allanah Comerford, for Grant, told Sheriff MacDonald her client’s recollection of the events was “exceptionally slim”.
She said: “It was around the anniversary of his father’s death,” explaining that Grant had been only 11 when his father died in police custody.
Ms Comerford said Grant had consumed alcohol and as many as 70 “street valium” tablets on that day.
“He fully understands that his behaviour was entirely unacceptable.
“He is remorseful and has asked me to apologise to all the complainers and particularly to the officers of the Police Service of Scotland
“He recognises the impact it would have had on everyone involved.”
The solicitor acknowledged Grant’s “previous analogous offending” but told the sheriff he was now participating in a course looking at “behaviour and consequential thinking”.
Shocking, violent unacceptable
Sheriff MacDonald told Grant: ” You say that you can’t recall what happened – you have heard what happened.
“You have heard that your behaviour was absolutely shocking – violent, unacceptable behaviour.
“This went on for some time – it appeared that you relished the thought of the whole circumstance.”
She jailed Grant, of Pinegrove, Elgin, for 32 months.