A Douglas man has admitted sparking a hoax bomb alert.

Thomas Paul Groom, of Fairfield Terrace, pleaded guilty to a charge of giving a hoax bomb alert.

A second charge against him of threatening to damage property was withdrawn.

Groom, aged 49, will be sentenced on February 19 after a probation report has been prepared.

Prosecutor Hazel Carroon told the court how, on January 12 at 8pm, Groom called ’999’ making threats to harm himself and ’take someone else out’.

Police went to his home but Groom refused to come out of his bedroom.

He stayed locked inside as police spoke to him for 10 minutes.

He was said to be slurring his words and not making sense.

When officers said they would enter by force Groom got irate saying that he would hurt anyone who came in.

He was asked if he had anything in the room and, referring to the building, said: ’I will raise it to the ground.’

Threat

Police forced entry and arrested Groom but no explosives were found inside.

When interviewed he denied calling police and claimed it was his neighbour who called.

However, he then admitted making the call, saying he had felt low throughout the day and had been considering harming himself.

Groom said he had drunk half a bottle of brandy and some beer causing his memory of the incident to be ’sketchy’, but denied making any bomb threat.

Defence advocate Peter Taylor said: ’I don’t think the fear of a bomb was genuine because police just kicked the door in anyway.

’It was only a threat made by a drunken man who has mental health problems.’

Mr Taylor went on to say that his client had no bail address to go to and was currently undergoing detox at the prison.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes ordered that the probation report consider all sentencing options, including custody.