An Aberdeen man threatened to target city centre offices and attack a newspaper editor because he was the subject of an article.
Ian Scott, of Stoneywood Terrace, pleaded guilty to phoning 999 and making threats towards Evening Express staff.
Fiscal depute Alan Townsend told the court that at 1.22am on July 23, the 55-year-old phone police and stated to a member of the Police Scotland control room that he wasn’t happy with his name and address being printed following a court case.
He then threatened to go into the newspaper office and shoot members of staff as well as threatening to kill the editor.
Scott made comments about how he planned to kill him and said he wanted to “hunt down” the person who wrote the story and give him a “hiding”.
When asked by operators when he planned to do this, he replied he didn’t know and it could take him a couple of years.
Defence agent John McLeod said the remarks made by his client had been empty threats and said he didn’t believe the case warranted a custodial sentence.
Mr McLeod advised supervision be placed on Scott instead.
Sheriff Ian Wallace noted that the call wasn’t just a rant at police as there had been serious threats made.
He imposed a community payback order with a supervision requirement for 18 months and ordered Scott to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
