An Elgin woman was caught trying to set a car on fire by lighting a cigarette packet and attempting to shove it into the fuel tank in an act of revenge.
Emma McKerron had just been refused entry to a male acquaintance’s home and then she “scuffled” with a woman in the doorway.
A neighbour near the address in Kingmills, Elgin, then witnessed the 35-year-old targetting the woman’s car.
The alarmed resident watched as McKerron used a lighter to ignite the paper packet and pushed it into a Ford Mondeo’s fuel cap.
But her malicious act was thwarted when the eyewitness immediately called the police, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
‘She lunged towards the woman’
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh said that incidents took place on November 12 last year.
She said that McKerron attended at a male acquaintance’s address but, when he opened the door to her, he asked her to leave.
“She remained at the door, became angry and then, when the door was answered again by one of the man’s female friends, she lunged towards the woman and engaged in a struggle with her.”
After the door was closed to a rejected McKerron once again, she turned her attention to the woman’s car.
“A neighbour saw her acting suspiciously next to a Ford Mondeo parked on the street,” Ms Duffy-Welsh said.
“He saw the accused using a lighter to set fire to what appeared to be paper pushed into the petrol cap of the vehicle and so contacted police immediately.”
Medical issues
Police officers turned up at the scene around 7pm and were greeted by an “angry” McKerron, the court heard.
One officer then removed a cigarette packet from the fuel cap, which had burn marks on its edges.
McKerron, who had walked into court with the aid of a crutch, was first taken into custody at the time of the offences and later to Dr Grays Hospital for medical treatment to her legs.
The court was told that McKerron had little recollection of the incident due to medical issues but that she accepted full responsibility.
She admitted one charge of threatening or abusive behaviour, another of culpably trying to set fire to a car and a further charge of flailing her arms at officers who had taken her to the hospital.
‘Devastated’ offender
McKerron’s defence agent Robert Cruickshank told the court that his client was “devastated” to have ended a 10-year period of staying out of trouble.
“She tells the background report author that she was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ and that she regrets it,” the solicitor said.
“There was no planning in this offence and she does accept full responsibility.
“She does have previous convictions but it is to her immense credit that, despite medical difficulties, she had not been in trouble since 2012.”
Sheriff Eric Brown agreed it was “a credit to her that it was 10 years since her last conviction”.
He handed McKerron, of Taylor Place, Bishopmill, a 12-month supervision order.
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