Man denies starting fire in Aberdeen flat while people were inside

A man has denied starting a blaze in a block of city flats and putting the lives of its residents in danger.

Stefan Kubina appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday in relation to the fire at a block of flats on the city’s Richmond Street on February 12 this year.

The 33-year-old pled not guilty to the charges he is facing.

Prosecutors allege he set fire to household items within a flat while five people were in the block.

The charge states that the fire took effect and spread through the flat, stairway and roof.

It is alleged that as a result, damage was caused to the items and the fabric of the premises and that this was “all to the danger of the lives of the occupants”, causing “extensive damage” to the block.

Kubina also denied behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Aberdeen Rail Station and at Kittybrewster Police Station on February.

The case is to call again today when a trial date is to be fixed.

More than 20 firefighters were called to Richmond Street in the Rosemount area of the city on February 12.