A SERIAL firestarter who caused massive disruption to emergency services last year has been spared a prison sentence.

Colin Mcomish, 22, repeatedly told ambulance, police or fire crews he was in trouble or would hurt himself.

On May 1 last year, at the Jaw Reservoir north of Faifley, he repeatedly called the Scottish Ambulance Service and said he was in the water and his life was in jeopardy.

His emergency calls prompted the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the ambulance service, and a helicopter from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to attend.

Firefighters went into the water to search for him, all to a risk of injury of the emergency responders.

Four days later, on May 5 at Langside Street, in Faifley, Mcomish falsely told four police officers from Dumbarton that he had been the victim of an assault and that an unknown man had struck him with acid.

The same day, he also told a member of the public to call 999, claiming the man had attacked him with acid and rubbed nettles or a similar item on his face and body causing two paramedics to attend.

But this claim, too, was false, and he thereby put others at risk by preventing emergency response crews attending a genuine emergency.

And on May 28, at Orbison Place, Mcomish put a note in a public phone box stating that he planned to take his own life at the reservoir, knowing it would provoke a response by the emergency services.

Again fire crews, the ambulance service and police helicopter attended the scene.

When they arrived, they found that Mcomish had got access to a jetty, had bound his hands, and was threatening to jump in the water if any emergency responders approached him, again putting them at risk.

Mcomish pleaded guilty to the four charges earlier this year.

At the time of the offences, he was on a community payback order (CPO) - imposed after he admitted setting fire to a bin outside a home in Orbiston Drive on June 21 last year.

In 2016 Mcomish, of Watchmeal Crescent, set fire to an air conditioning unit next to a diesel tank at the back of a business in Auld Street, Dalmuir.

At Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff William Gallacher was told a social work report on Mcomish was “positive” in terms of his progress on an existing CPO.

Mcomish’s solicitor, Leo McGinn, told the hearing on September 25 that his client also presented as more “stable” than he had done on previous occasions.

“He is willing and able to carry out unpaid work,” added Mr McGinn.

Sheriff Gallacher said he was a “little apprehensive” because of Mcomish caused “considerable difficulty to all sorts of people”.

He told Mcomish: “Because you were making false and silly comments, I remain anxious about you, Mr Mcomish, that you might still cause yourself harm or other people harm.

“I’m persuaded not to send you to prison.

“It might be this is the last time I see you. That would be fantastic.”

Mcomish was told his existing CPO would be allowed to continue without any more reviews.

An additional 200 hours of unpaid work were imposed for the events of May 2019, with 12 months allowed for the punishment to be completed.