A Highland man who started a fire in the block of flats where he lived was jailed for a year yesterday.
Sheriff Andrew Berry told Paul Fairweather, who had just been released from prison earlier that day after serving a term for an unrelated crime, that his life was “pretty much out of control” at the time.
Neighbours outside his flat in Holborn Avenue, in Thurso, made desperate efforts to alert Paul Fairweather and became alarmed when they saw he was not making any effort to quell the flames.
“There is no fire,” he told them.
Then Fairweather, 31, grabbed a cushion and proceeded to smother a carpet which was alight, Wick Sheriff Court was told.
Shortly afterwards, he was observed in his garden, challenging a neighbour to fight and later threatened and abused police officers who arrested him.
Fairweather pleaded guilty on indictment to culpably and recklessly setting fire to a carpet, on November 25, to the danger of residents in the block of flats.
He admitted further charges of breach of the peace and abusive behaviour.
By the time the police arrived, Fairweather had returned to his flat and as the officers approached, he threw a gas cylinder out of the window.
At the police station and became aggressive, struggled with the officers and subjected them to racially-aggravated abuse.
Solicitor Michael Burnett said that Fairweather’s anger had been triggered by a comment from the mother of his children that he would not be getting to see them.
Mr Burnett: “In his drunken state he knocked over an ash tray which ignited the carpet. My client accepts that he didn’t attend to the outbreak as quickly as he should have done.”
Fairweather will be subject to a six-months supervision order when he is released.
