Thug leaves nail bomb outside neighbour’s flat after row over brothel
ROUND 1 Barman’s girlfriend makes malicious call about next door’s dog ROUND 2 Owner retaliates and calls cops to make prostitution claim ROUND 3 Idiot plants device made from petrol, concrete and nails.. then legs it to Spain
A MAN planted a nail bomb outside a neighbour’s home in a row over claims his girlfriend was running a brothel.
David Pirie, 27, left the explosive, packed with petrol, nails and pieces of concrete, in a bottle at the home of terrified Alexander McCluckie following a feud.
Alexander stayed next door to Pirie’s girlfriend Louise Stewart in Hamilton but relations soured when she made a malicious call to the SSPCA about his dog.
Months later, police arrested Louise after they were told she was operating a brothel from the flat – but she was released without charge.
Pirie suspected Alexander had called police and, hours after Louise was released, he smashed the neighbour’s front window and left the glass bottle, which had a strong smell of fuel, and a lighter outside.
The bar worker was arrested after neighbours gave police a description and his DNA was discovered on the bottle.
But days before he was due in court, he fled to Spain for a holiday and then stayed to work for almost a year. He was arrested at the airport when he returned to Scotland and remanded in custody. Pirie, of Baillieston, Glasgow, has now appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted leaving the bomb at the flat in August 2015 and failing to appear in court in June last year. He is facing a jail sentence.
Prosecutor Vish Kathuria said: “The accused’s partner used to reside in the flat next to the complainer. They had a friendship that soured in March 2015 when a malicious call was made to the SSPCA regarding Mr McCluckie’s dog.
“In August 2015, police received intelligence the accused’s partner was operating a brothel in the neighbouring flat.
“Police entered the flat and detained Miss Stewart. She was released just before midnight.
“The incident happened at 5.30am. The accused was going to confront Mr McCluckie about information he had passed to the police.
“The complainer was asleep and was woken by two loud bangs on his living room window and a neighbour across the street also heard them.
“The accused was observed to pick up a brick and throw it at the window. He ran off towards his partner’s vehicle, informing her he had smashed the window, and they made off.”
Mr Kathuria said Alexander saw the brick and a glass bottle containing fluid, nails, a bag protruding from it and a lighter next to it. He contacted police.
He added: “The bottle was dismantled and found to contain nails, fragments of concrete and fluid later found to be petrol.
“The accused’s partner was interviewed and asked what she knew about the bomb and replied, ‘I didn’t know he had actually done it, he told me about it and I was like, ‘That is a bit far’.
“The bomb was analysed and DNA from the accused was found on the top of the bottle.”
Sheriff Shiona Waldron released Pirie on bail and deferred sentence. She added: “You were extremely foolish on a number of counts but I’m sure you now know what the full force of the law really means.”
Pirie will return to court next month for sentencing.