Man threatened to blow up Perth hostel while shouting ‘up the IRA’

A man threatened to blow up a homeless hostel after staff were unable to give him a lighter.

Alexander McKenzie approached staff at Greyfriars Hostel in Perth but became aggressive when they were unable to help.

He admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, making threats, threatening to kill himself and shouting sectarian remarks at the hostel on March 12 and 13 last year.

Perth Sheriff Court heard the 42-year-old shouted “up the IRA, I’m going to blow you up”.

Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson said: “Members of staff came on duty at 10pm. Colleagues that were going off shift said they were concerned about Mr McKenzie as he had been acting strange all day.

“He asked for a lighter and they said they didn’t have one and that was what set Mr McKenzie off.”

Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said McKenzie, of St Catherine’s Square, Perth, had significant psychiatric problems and had been diagnosed with a personality disorder.

Sheriff Fiona Tait deferred the case until April 23.