An unemployed motorcycle mechanic who blew up his girlfriend's kitchen during a bungled bid to extract oil from cannabis has been warned he faces jail. Craig Middleton, 33, endangered his partner and the lives of four children who were upstairs.
He watched YouTube videos before rigging up a makeshift still in his partner's three-bedroomed mid-terrace home in a residential street in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire.
He was trying to run butane gas through crushed herbal cannabis stuffed into a plastic bottle, but had forgotten to turn off the tumble drier and a random spark ignited a build-up of gas.
The resulting explosion blew the double-glazed kitchen window completely out of its frame and 10 metres across the rear garden.
The kitchen door was blown off its hinges and down the hall in pieces.
The plasterboard kitchen ceiling was blown away, revealing the floorboards of a bedroom above.
A small fire started near the cooker and kitchen cupboards and debris blown into the garden also caught fire.
Middleton's partner, Tania Shields, 32, who had just left the kitchen, was unhurt and scrambled to remove the children, also unhurt, and took them to a neighbour's.
The incident, in Northwood Road, Tullibody happened around at 8.45 pm on February 4, 2021.
James Moncrieff, prosecuting, said: "Miss Shields had been making herself a cup of tea, before leaving the accused alone, seated at the dining table, and closing the kitchen door behind her.
"She made her way into the living room and sat down. A short time later the explosion occurred, causing significant damage."
Miss Shields left the living room to be confronted by the remains of the kitchen door "strewn" over the hall floor and Middleton staggering out, "dazed and visibly injured".
He suffered serious burns to his face, neck, torso and arms and was taken by ambulance the Forth Valley Royal Hospital at Larbert, and transferred to the burns unit of St John's Hospital, Livingston. He has since made a full recovery.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service also attended.
Fire fighters said the explosion had been caused by the explosion of a large quantity of butane gas, which appeared to have been used in the production of a cannabis derivative known as butane honey oil, or BHO.
Mr Moncrieff said: "There have been previously several instances of explosions resulting in serious injury and death relating to the illicit manufacture of BHO."
Police recovered the plastic bottle full of herbal cannabis and a Pyrex dish containing recently-distilled BHO from the scene. They also found up to a dozen yellow cans of butane gas lighter fuel scattered about the kitchen and rear garden.
Middleton handed himself in three weeks later, after his release from hospital.
He told police: "It was totally an accident."
He said he was a user of cannabis oil, and "due to not having enough money" had watched a video on YouTube about making BHO.
Mr Middleton said:"He told officers he had filled the plastic bottle with cannabis, poked holes into it, and filled it with gas.
"He was near the tumble drier, which was the only appliance on in the kitchen at the time, and saw a spark."
He said he was unaware of the dangers, and had decided to try the process out after watching "two or three videos".
At Stirling Sheriff Court on Tuesday, Middleton, of Tullibody, pleaded guilty to culpably and recklessly endangering the lives of his partner and the four children in the house.
He also admitted producing a controlled drug. Solicitor David Kinloch, defending, reserved mitigation.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton, who studied photographs of the destruction, deferred sentence until May 9 for reports.
He continued bail, but warned Middleton: "You should not take that as an indication that a custodial sentence will not be uppermost in my mind."
Leaving court, Middleton refused to comment to a reporter.
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