A fisherman embroiled in a “tit-for-tat” battle over noise sent his drummer neighbour a threatening message saying he would burn their block of flats down.
Jason Campbell, 46, made the threat after he was shouted at for playing loud music in the early hours of the morning, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said the incident happened shortly after 2am on July 27 this year after Campbell’s upstairs neighbour became “agitated regarding the noise” blaring from Campbell’s flat, on Elgin’s Morriston Road.
“He shouted down for him to turn down the music and the accused later send him a message on Facebook messenger stating he was going to burn down the block of flats,” she said.
“This caused him fear and alarm and he later reported the matter to the police and provided them with a copy of the message.”
Campbell admitted sending a communication of a grossly offensive, obscene or menacing character.
His defence agent Ben Thom said there had been various incidents of the pair asking each other to keep the noise down.
‘Neighbour has a drum kit’
“He accepted full responsibility at the earliest opportunity,” the solicitor said. “There has been issues between the two tit-for-tat in relation to loud noise.
“The upstairs neighbour has a drum kit. There have been various incidents of them asking each other to keep the noise down.
“But this response was not at all well considered by Mr Campbell.”
He stressed that his client, a full-time fisherman, had no intention of burning anything down and the comment was meant to sound along the lines of “I will burn it down and nobody will get any sleep”.
“Matters appear to have calmed down in the meantime,” Mr Thom added.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov ordered Campbell, of Morriston Road, to pay a fine of £520.
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