A man called 999 and falsely claimed there was a terrorist attack at Union Square after he missed his bus.

Christopher Baird, 24, made the alarming emergency call at around 3.20am on May 26 last year, claiming individuals at the shopping centre were “shooting everything”.

But police soon confirmed no such incident had happened and traced Baird in a doorway on Carmelite Street.

Fiscal depute Gavin Letford told Aberdeen Sheriff Court when police traced Baird they called the number which had dialled 999 and Baird’s phone rang.

Baird, of Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead, previously pled guilty to calling police and falsely stating there was an ongoing terrorist attack.

Sheriff Andrew Miller said: “I understand your position, is having had far too much to drink you found you’d missed your bus home and felt afraid for your own safety in the area of the bus station, and wanted to engineer a situation which would bring additional police officers to that area.

“You certainly chose an extremely irresponsible way of dealing with your own anxieties.”

Sentence had previously been deferred for a social work and psychological report which Sheriff Miller said revealed vulnerabilities relating to his “understanding and perception” of the world around him.

He ordered him to be supervised for 12 months and gave him a six month restriction of liberty order.