Man pleads guilty to police station petrol bomb attack

A man has pleaded guilty to endangering a police officer’s life after throwing Molotov cocktails at vans outside a police station.

Jamie Taylor, 34, also known as Jamie Heggie, threw petrol-filled canisters towards Livingston Police Station and nearby vehicles on the evening of May 30 this year, Police Scotland said.

CCTV footage shows Taylor throwing three petrol bombs at a line of police vans parked outside the station, with one exploding near the feet of an officer battling the flames with a fire extinguisher.

Taylor pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday.

Inspector Lindsey McIntyre said: “This was a totally reckless act by Taylor, endangering the lives of all officers and staff who were within the station at the time.

“Thankfully, no one was injured, but the outcome of the incident could have been far worse.

“Every officer has the fundamental right to come home from each shift unharmed, and no one should be targeted in this way, at their place of work, for just doing their job.

“I’d like to commend the bravery of the officer who managed to extinguish the fire before it took hold.

“This is a reminder of the unpredictability and dangerous situations police officers can face while simply carrying out their duty.

“I hope this conviction brings some comfort to the officers involved in this terrifying incident as Taylor faces the consequences of his despicable actions.”