An Inverness man displayed photos of two murdered police officers outside his home and attached comments about killing emergency service workers, before calling them to his property.
Gareth Benbow posted pictures of Pc Nicola Hughes and Pc Fiona Bone at the entrance to his home on April 2020.
Benbow, who claimed he had overdosed on tablets, called for help knowing the blue light services would see the offensive posts when they arrived.
The 42-year-old hindered and assaulted two ambulance service workers and a couple of police officers – shouting and swearing at them – Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
Benbow pled guilty to two charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and one of assaulting or impeding emergency workers responding to an emergency.
He also admitted a breach of the peace and two other charges, also involving police and paramedics.
Benbow also pled guilty to one count of making several calls to the General Medical Council between April 2 2020 and October 12 2020 and speaking to employees, claiming he had taken an overdose.
He made false complaints to them that a doctor had told him to kill himself and shouted and swore at them.
In 2014, Benbow was locked up after he made a hoax bomb threat to the Highland capital’s Raigmore Hospital, which had to be evacuated, including two dying patients.
During his latest court appearance for his most recent crimes, defence solicitor David Patterson asked Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald not to jail his client.
He said: “The problem is he harbours negative feelings, expresses them and no one likes him for it.
“It is all his own fault and he needs intense help and supervision to try and reverse that. He won’t get that in a custodial environment.”
Jailing Benbow, Sheriff Macdonald condemned him for actions that were “beyond appalling” and “reprehensible”.
She told the offender: “You subjected [your victims] to foul and vile abuse when these people were only trying to help you”.
Sheriff Macdonald jailed Benbow, of Gilbert Street in Inverness, for 16 months.
