A MAN who claimed to have a bomb in a restaurant, sparking an armed stand-off, has been jailed.
Roads around Amarone in Glasgow city centre were closed and a subway station shut when Edward Johnston made the claim.
The 38-year-old earlier pleaded guilty to speaking to a member of staff at Amarone, intending to make the person falsely believe he had a bomb on February 10 this year.
Today, at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alayne Swanson jailed him for 28 months, saying she "noted his remorse".
But she added: "Given the serious nature of this offence, there is no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence."
A number of roads were closed around the restaurant in Nelson Mandela Place as specialist police negotiators, armed officers and a Royal Navy bomb disposal unit were dispatched to the scene in February.
Buchanan Street subway station was also shut.
Tony Lenehan, def-ending Johnston, from Whiston, Merseyside, said his client had been through difficult times emotionally and financially in the years running up to the incident.
He suffered from depression and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after his partner had to have a termination on medical grounds late in her second pregnancy.
His family moved to Ireland in 2008 after he got a job there but he was laid off.
Mr Lenehan said: "He is a man who has been a decent man and has worked hard.
"He has sought to provide for his family in the midst of misfortune at every turn."