Castletown man in court over alleged 29-hour siege

A 49-year-old man has appeared at court charged in connection with an alleged 29-hour siege in Castletown on Monday and Tuesday.

The streets surrounding Coronation Place were closed from around 12.25pm on Monday and remained cordoned off into Tuesday while specialist negotiators were on the scene.

The man left the property at around 5.45pm on Tuesday.

Anthony Woodburn appeared in private by video link from Wick Sheriff Court to Inverness before Sheriff David Sutherland on Wednesday afternoon, represented by Inverness solicitor Kevin Hughes.

Woodburn made no plea to the charge that he did behave in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear and alarm in that you did adopt an aggressive attitude towards police officers, repeatedly shout and swear at said officers, threaten to self harm whilst in possession of an axe, threaten to set fire to the dwelling house, refuse to leave and repeatedly refuse to allow officers entry there.

The charge went on to allege that Woodburn uttered threats of violence towards officers whereby a siege incident was declared and public officers were caused to attend.

Woodburn was committed for further examination and remanded in custody.

Mr Hughes said afterwards: “The sheriff has instructed a psychiatric report on my client.”