Drunk man in Glasgow club ‘bomb’ claim spared jail

The Corinthian in Glasgow. A man has been spared jail over a drunken call to police over a false bomb threat. Picture: Robert Perry

Scott Peden, 40, called 999 claiming there was an explosive in The Corinthian on Glasgow’s Ingram Street.

He told the operator at 4.20am that a bomb was going to go off 10 minutes later causing the police to visit the city centre nightspot.

No bomb or explosive was found during a search of the building.

After hearing the recording of the call made to the emergency services, Peden, from Govanhill, Glasgow admitted at Glasgow Sheriff Court to giving information that a bomb or something explosive was in The Corinthian on December 29, last year.

Sheriff Johanna Johnston QC handed Peden a community payback order with the condition he must carry out 140 hours unpaid work, within six months.

She told him: “To get yourself in to the circumstance where your behaved in this fashion is appalling.”

The court heard Peden had been in the bar earlier in the evening for a Christmas night out.

Procurator fiscal depute Tracy Paterson said: “At 4.20 hours on December 29, 2013 an anonymous male called 999 stating ‘There’s a bomb about to go off in The Corinthian at 4.30’.

“The phone number was noted by dispatch. Due to the nature of the call, police attended.

“They informed management of the call and they assisted staff in the search of the premises with a negative result.”

She told the court the club was not evacuated, CCTV was checked and inquiries were made.

Miss Paterson said that on January 12, the phone number from the 999 call was traced to Paterson.

Later that month Peden was detained by police and questioned about the incident and accepted that the phone number was his but said he had no recollection of making the call.

Defence lawyer Tina McGreevy said Peden accepted he made the call when he heard the recording of the 999 tape.

She said he still has no recollection of it but that it is his voice.

Ms McGreevy said her client would have pled guilty sooner had she had access to the recording earlier but that it was only made available last month.

She added: “He has been appalled at his behaviour and the position he has placed not only himself in but his family.”