Man who made threat to torch Thornhill house gets community service

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A yob threatened to set fire to a house his partner fled from and destroyed garden items there including Hallowe’en pumpkins.Mark Macdougall, 36, had admitted a charge of threatening and abusive behaviour – likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm – during a telephone call and at a Thornhill address on October 30, 2021, aggravated by abuse of a partner or ex-partner.Fiscal depute Sean Iles told Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday that Macdougall and the complainer had been in a long-standing relationship.Both of them had attended a Hallowe’en party in Fintry that day.The complainer then dropped Macdougall off at his home address.However, the accused later contacted the complainer by phone stating that he was going to set the Thornhill house on fire.Mr Iles said this prompted the complainer to turn her phone off, leave her home address, and stay with a friend for the night.At 11pm a neighbour of the complainer heard a male shouting and swearing.It was recognised as the accused’s voice.The sound of items being thrown around the locus could also be heard.The witness left their home and “tried to calm the situation down”.However, Macdougall kicked the front door and stated that the complainer had ‘put me out of the house’ adding: ‘This is my house and I’m going to burn it to the ground.’Macdougall had left the scene before the police arrived.When officers got there they saw a footprint on the front door.There was also damage to plant pots, a slide, a garden bench and pumpkins.When Macdougall returned to the house a short time later police were notified.He was traced at 1.15am.He made no reply to caution and charge and was taken to Falkirk Police Office.Macdougall’s agent Ken Dalling told Sheriff Charles Lugton that