A Highland man who threatened to blow up a hospital has avoided prison due to suffering from mental health issues.
Malcolm Stone, 61, also smashed a shop window, racially abused a bank worker and threatened police, pharmacy and hospital staff earlier this year.
Tain Sheriff Court heard that all of the behaviour took place while Stone was unmedicated for mental health issues.
Stone, of Fulton Court, Alness, appeared in the dock for sentencing having previously pled guilty to four charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and one of resisting, obstructing or hindering police officers.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told the court that on February 23 Stone had attended Invergordon Hospital to collect a prescription. “The police then received a call saying the accused was making threats to blow up the hospital,” she said.
‘I’m going to blow your house up’
Stone also made threats to hospital staff and threw his crutches at them. When police officers arrived he told them: “I’m going to blow your house up, I’m going to kill you.”
The following day police were called again after Stone was seen lying on the ground outside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Alness High Street.
“He wouldn’t move and was causing a nuisance. He eventually went into the bank,” Mrs Gair told the court.
Once inside Stone became agitated and began striking a desk and using racial slurs towards a member of staff who was trying to serve him, and when officers arrived to remove him he refused to comply.
“Police attempted to arrest him. He became a dead weight, dropped to the floor,” Mrs Gair told the court.
‘I just lost my temper’
The Fiscal depute also detailed how, on March 5, Stone visited a pharmacy on the same High Street looking for a repeat prescription only to be told it was not available. He took issue with this, accusing staff of withholding his medication, before lashing out in the store.
Mrs Gair told the court: “He punched a freestanding sign on his way out. He stuck two fingers up to them. He punched the window, the last punch caused the window to shatter.”
On this occasion when police officers arrived he told them: “I’m very sorry for what I have done I just lost my temper. I didn’t mean to do that I will pay for the damage to the window.”
Defence solicitor Rory Gowans told the court his client understood the serious nature of his offences but that he had been suffering from mental health difficulties and had been unable to access his usual medication at the time.
He said: “This is a man who has mental health difficulties who was unmedicated through no fault of his own. There was a delay in getting medication that led to this eruption. He knows what he did, he knows how serious it is.
Mr Gowans added: “He has asked me to express his unreserved apology for what he did and said.”
Placing Stone on a community payback order with two years’ supervision as a direct alternative to custody, Sheriff Gary Aitken said: “Behaviour of this kind is completely unacceptable.
“These were all people simply going about their jobs, mainly trying to assist you. The reference to people’s ethnic origin, threats to blow up a hospital and police officers’ houses are unacceptable.
“If it was not for the fact that you were unwell I would certainly be sending you to prison.”
