A man phoned the office of Scotland’s justice secretary and said he was thinking about petrol bombing police officers.
Gordon Regis-Hvidsten rang up Keith Brown MSP’s office in Alloa because he was “dissatisfied” with the police.
But the situation quickly escalated when the 43-year-old began talking about going to a police station and throwing petrol bombs at officers.
Regis-Hvidsten left a voicemail and when it was picked up police were immediately alerted and quickly traced him.
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann said: “He was dissatisfied with the police due to an unrelated matter.”
He explained the MSP’s office manager had picked up a voicemail from Regis-Hvidsten in which he said he was “thinking of going to a police station and throwing petrol bombs at police officers”.
He also talked about self-harming.
While in custody Regis-Hvidsten repeated that he “was going to petrol bomb police”.
He also said “police will die” and stated he was the “victim of a conspiracy”.
Officers woke accused up
Regis-Hvidsten pled guilty to sending voicemail to the MSP’s office that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, and of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He had denied charges of assaulting a woman by pushing her on Mugiemoss Road on January 27, as well as behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by threatening and running towards a man, and following him, another man and the woman.
However, Regis-Hvidsten was found guilty of those offences after a trial.
Defence agent Sian Grant said her client had previously suffered a brain injury and could act “impulsively” as a result.
She explained that when police had turned up at his home they had woken him up, which he did not react well to.
An alternative to prison
Mrs Grant added that Regis-Hvidsten had sought medical help but had had difficulty obtaining it.
However, the court heard a “way forward” had been identified to enable Regis-Hvidsten, of Rowett South Avenue, Aberdeen, to access support.
Sheriff Andrew Miller imposed a community payback order as an alternative to prison, with a year’s supervision and 120 hours of unpaid work.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While sentencing is always a matter for the independent court, the Scottish Government understands the distress and consequences these sort of threats can cause.
“Police Scotland are right to take any such threat seriously and act appropriately to ensure the safety of anyone affected.”
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