A 31-YEAR-OLD man who sparked a “large-scale firearms incident” in the Borders has been jailed for 12 months at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Neil Brown claimed to have already stabbed someone and made threats to shoot the ambulance service call handler and harm others during the phone conversation, from his home in Coldstream’s Hill View, last month.

Brown – who had only just been released from a previous prison sentence for setting fire to his flat in Walkerburn – was ordered to carry out six months of unexpired sentence and given another six months jail by Sheriff Robert Vaughan.

The court heard Brown had earlier smashed a £400 window at the Newcastle Arms pub in Coldstream after being asked to leave following a disturbance.

When he got home, in the early hours of January 16 he made the call to the ambulance service in which he also said he wanted to shoot himself and, if anyone came to his house, he would shoot them too.

Emergency services were quickly on the scene.

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Twenty-five police officers – including an armed unit – were among those to respond which was described as a “large-scale firearms incident”.

They were supported by fire and also three ambulance crews.

Brown met them at the front of his property but, when he failed to comply with directions of firearms officers, he was tasered.

When in custody, the court heard Brown apologised for his actions, insisted he never planned to shoot anyone, adding he was “talking c**p”.

Defence lawyer Ed Hulme said his client had a history of mental health difficulties.

He explained Brown used to live in Peebles but on his release from prison on December 30 had been relocated in Coldstream and had been trying to make new friends before the incident happened on January 15.

Sheriff Vaughan said Brown had a long criminal record and had failed to comply with previous community-based disposals and added there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.