A man has been jailed following a six-hour siege that brought a Dundee neighbourhood to a standstill.
Charles McGregor barricaded himself inside a flat at Sandeman Place and threatened to set dogs on police.
He told officers they would need to send a firearms unit to remove him from the property.
McGregor appeared via videolink at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear or alarm, on July 20 2021.
He also pled guilty to being in possession of a bladed weapon.
Sheriff Euan Duthie told the 40-year-old: “The conduct underlying these charges was entirely unacceptable.
“I am satisfied that a custodial sentence is necessary.”
McGregor, of Craigmore Street, Dundee, was jailed for 11 months.
Disturbance
Court papers state former scaffolder McGregor barricaded himself at the flat for several hours.
He was heard ranting and swearing and making violent threats to the growing number of police on the street outside, including a threat to set dogs on them.
Officers were scrambled to the cul-de-sac at about 3am following reports of a disturbance in a block of flats.
Locals said that, at the height of the stand-off, there were 10 police vehicles at the scene.
Police were spotted wearing riot gear, including helmets and stab vests, and carrying battering rams.
Neighbours said they heard banging and shouting before McGregor was put in the back of a waiting police van.
The stand-off came to an end at around 9am.
Praise for police
Solicitor Jim Caird, defending, told the court: “Mr McGregor does accept that he did behave in the way described.
“He saw persons outside, at flats nearby, causing trouble.
“They had a knife and he took it off of them – so he does admit he was in possession of a knife.”
Mr Caird added: “The police dealt with this in a sensitive and reasonable way.
“The safety of everyone concerned was paramount and the police officers were never in any direct danger, despite some of the threats he was making.
“It was a lengthy incident, but it was well handled.”
The court heard that McGregor had struggled with his mental health after losing his job during lockdown.
