Man who tried to murder neighbours with gas leak is jailed

A man who tried to murder his neighbours by causing a gas leak and fire during a siege at his home has been jailed for five years and seven months.

Gary McIntyre, 31, cut open gas pipes at his home and set fire to household items at the property in Watson Street, Cowdenbeath, on 27 December 2024.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that emergency service workers were scrambled after receiving a call from McIntyre's former partner who told them he was planning to end his life.

McIntyre, now of Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge at a hearing before judge Norman McFadyen last month.

Prosecutor Naomei Warner told the court McIntyre had refused to cooperate with police officers who arrived at the scene.

The court heard he threw items, including a fridge, at them.

Warner said this meant officers were unable to assess the extent of the leak so emergency gas workers tried to assess the situation.

She added: "A probe was placed through the letter box. The accused tried to pull it. In a normal situation, the reading is supposed to be zero parts of gas in one million parts of air.

"The readings which were taken were 750 parts of gas, 8,500 parts of gas and then 11,000 parts of gas per million.

"Due to these readings neighbours within the surrounding properties were evacuated."

McIntyre pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully setting fire to "unknown items" within his then house which then took hold.

He admitted that he did this in order to cause an explosion having earlier damaged "internal gas pipes" at the house which caused a gas leak.

The charge also stated that he barricaded the door to "prevent emergency services from entering" and his actions were "all to the danger of the lieges" - a legal expression meaning people - and that he did "attempt to murder" them.

Defence lawyer Gordon Martin KC told the court that his client had been suffering with poor mental health - he had recently broken up with his partner and police had crushed his van.

The court heard that McIntyre had worked as a self-employed joiner and his tools, which cost £3,500, were inside the vehicle at the time.

Martin said his client's mental health had improved and he has had counselling for his issues. He added: "He expresses genuine remorse for his actions."

Judge McFadyen said he noted that McIntyre had a "significant record" of previous convictions, including violence.

McIntyre would be supervised for three years following his release from custody, he added.