A GREENOCK man who orchestrated a petrol-bombing murder plot from behind bars has admitted splashing a court officer with tea.

Robert Warnock, 27, soaked the man at the High Court in Glasgow on September 21 2022.

An enraged Warnock threw a cup against a wall, with its contents landing on the prison custody officer.

Warnock was in the cell area at the court facing a charge of conspiracy to murder.

He was behind three fire-bombings in Greenock, Inverclyde in 2020.

His 18-year-old sibling Reece Warnock had been brutally attacked in August 2019 in Port Glasgow.

Andrew Sutherland and his half-brother Leonard Cole jnr were identified as the culprits and properties and relatives linked to the pair were then targeted.

Warnock was able to help organise the attacks having taken advantage of prisoners being allowed mobile phone access during the pandemic.

He was in HMP Shotts at the time serving a 11 year jail-term for attempting to murder a woman and assaulting her partner.

The six men that were involved were given sentences totalling 64 years.

A judge told Warnock - who pled guilty - that he acted 'like a gangster' as he sought to turn the streets of Greenock into a 'warzone'.

He was then locked up for 15 years and three months.

Warnock has now pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to his latest charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

A not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown to a separate charge of assaulting the court employee by throwing liquid at him.

Warnock will not spend further time behind bars over the offence, as Sheriff Barry Divers ordered his one-year sentence to commence from February this year.

The court earlier heard that Warnock was shouting and causing a commotion in the cell area.

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Attempts were made by staff to calm him down before Warnock turned to the man and said he was going to spit on him.

After calling him a 'glorified security guard' he added 'come here, I will smash you'.

Warnock then went on to pick up a polystyrene cup containing hot tea that he had been handed earlier.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sillars said: "He threw the cup towards the cell wall with some of the liquid smashing off the wall and landing on the man.

"A colleague was able to move out the way to avoid the contents."

The police were then notified.