Terror threats over tax rise

A Pakistani man who made alarming threats about Isis to a terrified council worker has avoided a jail sentence.

Asad Nisar told the sobbing council tax clerk: “I’m going to join in this war against you”.

In a recording of his phone call to West Lothian Council’s call centre played at his trial, he is heard telling her: “I’m being pushed out of this country. Should I go to the Islamic State?

“You’re going to have to speak to me at the end of the day. That’s the situation we’re in. You don’t have a choice. It’s getting worse and worse.

“It is war. It’s out-andout war. I have to join this war against you.

“That’s what you’ve pushed me into.”

Livingston Sheriff Court was told Nisar became angry because the official was not able to deal with his query about his mum’s council tax rise.

Sheriff Eric Brown told him that people associate Islamic State with wars in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

More importantly, he said, the public also link the organisation to recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Belgium, France as well as thwarted terror plots across the UK.

He told Nisar: “The public associate Islamic State with extreme violence, murder and barbarism on a very significant scale.

“Indeed the public is constantly being reminded of the threats to the security of everybody in this country by those who are members of IS.”

Sheriff Brown said the threats could not be regarded as having anything other than a menacing character.

Unemployed Nisar, who lives with his pensioner mum at Sutherland Way, Knights-ridge, Livingston, denied breaching the Telecommunications Act by making a menacing call.

He told Livingston Sheriff Court he had not meant to alarm anyone and claimed he had been victimised because of his race and Muslim religion.

Passing sentence on Friday, Sheriff Brown said he could not impose a heavy fine because Nisar had no income and relied on his mum and sister to support him.

He ordered Nisar to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work within six months. He also placed the first offender under social work supervision for 15 months.