A man who torched a house then told police he hoped children had died as a result has been jailed for three years.
Joseph Robinson was caught on CCTV stealing a container full of petrol from a garage just minutes before he drove into a woman’s car so hard the airbags went off.
When she drove away in fear he entered her home and torched it, later telling police officers he’d doused himself in petrol and hoped adults and children had died as a result of the blaze.
Robinson, 24, appeared via videolink from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of theft, dangerous driving, wilful fireraising and drink-driving.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told the court the incident, on June 20 this year, began at around 1pm when Robinson stole a petrol can and fuel from an Inverness filling station.
‘He told them he had doused himself in petrol’
Just minutes later, Ms Eastwood said, Robinson’s victim and her partner were leaving her home on Inverness’ Benbecula Place when they spotted his car behind them.
“He deliberately drove his car into the rear of her car causing it to jolt forward and causing damage,” the fiscal depute said, adding that the impact was sufficient to cause both airbags to deploy.
After seeing Robinson grab the can of fuel from his vehicle and run toward her home the woman and her partner drove off in fear and contacted police.
When officers arrived at the scene they entered the property and encountered Robinson.
“He told them he had doused himself in petrol and would set himself alight should officers attempt to climb the stairs,” Ms Eastwood said.
The officers retreated outside to call for help and Robinson made a run for it but was soon caught.
At that point, smoke alarms in the home started sounding and smoke began to emerge from the property.
Firefighters attended and extinguished the blaze, but not before the bedroom where it was started was “comprehensively destroyed”.
While Robinson was being taken to Burnett Road Police Station, he kicked, headbutted and spat on the inside of the police van and made repeated threats to kill officers and their families.
Man ‘hoped’ fire had killed children
“He also stated that he hoped that adults and children of neighbouring properties were killed due to the fire,” said Ms Eastwood added.
Once at the police station Robinson was tested and found to be over the drink-drive limit.
Robinson’s solicitor Neil Wilson said his client, currently a prisoner in Inverness, was from Liverpool.
He said: “In the run-up to the commission of these crimes he had been homeless and living in his car in the Inverness area. He had difficulties in the Liverpool area that he was seeking to avoid.
“He accepts that what he has done is very serious indeed and he is very lucky that the consequences were not worse.”
Sheriff Sara Matheson said: “This is a matter of the utmost severity. There will be no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.”
She jailed Robinson for a total of three years backdated to June 21 and banned him from the roads for four-and-a-half years after which he will have to sit and pass the extended test if he wishes to drive again.
