Suicide bid put residents at risk

Dec 9 2011 by Colin Rutherford, Kilmarnock Standard

A KILMARNOCK man put the residents of an entire block of flats at risk in an apparent suicide bid.

Twenty three-year-old Christopher Thornhill sent alarming text messages to his girlfriend after filling his Kilmarnock home with gas, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard on Monday.

Thornhill, now living at Lint Brae in Stewarton, pleaded guilty to placing his neighbours at risk by acting in a culpable and reckless manner at the property in Barclay House, West Langlands Street in June.

He appeared at court from custody having failed to turn up on a previous occasion.

The court was told that, when Thornhill’s partner left home around mid-day, all appeared well.

But at 3.30pm on the same date, she received the first of a series of disturbing text messages.

It stated: “That’s it done.”

The woman tried to phone him, without success, and decided to drive back to the house.

En route, she received another message, which read: “I thought you wouldn’t come home. You can’t save them all. My dad’s been in and he didn’t even smell the gas.”

This prompted her to call the police.

Sheriff Seith Ireland heard that, when police went to the flats, “it immediately became apparent there was a strong smell of gas”.

The gas supply to the whole block was switched off by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.

The other flats in the property were evacuated.

Police contacted Thornhill by phone and he eventually agreed to leave his flat.

He was examined by paramedics, but did not require medical treatment.

Meanwhile firefighters went into his home, where there was an even stronger smell of gas.

They also found letters, “which would normally be described as suicide notes”.

Sheriff Ireland told Thornhill: “This was a very serious incident, whatever lay behind it.”

Thornhill’s conduct had “potentially very serious consequences”, he said.

The sheriff deferred sentence until January 26 and called for a social work report.