A teenager completely destroyed a BMW after setting fire to the car in a residential area, a court has been told.
Dylan Flett targeted the white vehicle, parked at Kincorth Circle in Aberdeen, on December 22 2019.
But the 21-year-old was caught by police after he left a petrol can behind and its purchase was later traced to him using CCTV camera evidence.
Flett was encouraged to commit the crime by his older and already sentenced co-accused Corey Gibb.
Gibb’s mum owned the car after buying it from his ex-girlfriend whom she lived with.
The car had only been sold to Gibb’s mother three days before it was set alight and spotted by a neighbour engulfed in flames at 12.45am.
Dog walker heard ‘loud bang’
Fiscal depute Lynne MacVicar told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “A witness who was taking her dog for a walk nearby noted a strong smell of burning in the air.
“About 30 seconds later, she heard a loud bang and hissing noise, as if the air was coming out of a tyre.
“She didn’t notice anything else suspicious or anyone leaving the area.
“About 20 minutes later, she returned home and on looking out of her window, which overlooks the car park, she saw a white car up in flames.
“The flames were coming from the offside rear of the car and the offside front of the car.
“The flames were getting worse with time and she saw that the inside of the car was on fire. She immediately phoned the fire brigade,” Miss MacVicar said.
An hour later, the car’s owner was woken by her sister shouting that the car was on fire.
“On looking out of the window, she saw that the back of the car was on fire,” the fiscal added. “She also saw a green jerry can sitting beside the car at the time.”
Fire caused £5,000 of damage
When police attended the scene, the car – a 2010 plate – was “fully ablaze” and a ‘Shell’-branded green jerry can was discovered next to a rear wheel.
Enquiries were carried out at the Shell Cocket Hat petrol station in Aberdeen and seized CCTV footage showed Flett purchasing it alongside another man.
Flett was traced by officers and initially provided “no comment” answers to every question, before claiming he had been at home all night.
But after being challenged with the CCTV evidence, he gave up the lie and admitted to buying the petrol can and fuel.
He still insisted that he had gone straight home in a stranger’s car with three other people, of whom he knew only one, but refused to name them.
Police soon established that one of the men that Flett was with had owed a drug debt to Gibb, who ordered that man to drive Flett to the garage and then to Kincorth Circle to start the fire.
The total cost of damage caused by the fire was approximately £5,000.
‘Traumatic upbringing’
Flett admitted a charge of wilful fire-raising.
His defence agent Neil McRobert said the then 18-year-old had matured since the incident three years ago and is now a father who works full time.
“At the time, alcohol consumption and cocaine use were rife and regular, unfortunately for Mr Flett,” the solicitor said.
“It would appear he was encouraged by others to commit this offence and he foolishly went along with that.”
The court heard that Flett had a “traumatic upbringing” and that eight months behind bars in 2021 proved the “catalyst” for him to “change the direction of his life”.
‘You were taken advantage of’
Sheriff Philip Mann took into account that Flett had no further cases outstanding and appeared to have behaved in recent times.
He told him: “There’s no doubt about it, if you set fire to a vehicle, there’s potential for grave danger to members of the public.
“A custodial sentence is something the court must consider, however, you were 18 at the time and you may have been influenced to commit this crime.
“Others were taking advantage of your youth and susceptibility and vulnerability. That’s something in your favour.”
He handed Flett, of Goodhope Park in Aberdeen, 180 hours of unpaid work and a four-month nighttime curfew.
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