Blaze trial collapses

Accused found not guilty after court rules fire chief can’t be classed as‘expert witness’

Residents were evacuated in the early hours of the morning after fire broke out below flats in Bellshill town centre.

Firefighters arrived to find two mattresses had been set alight and the flames were threatening to engulf the building in Hamilton Road.

However, a man accused of starting the blaze was found not guilty when his trial before a jury at Hamilton Sheriff Court collapsed.

Arthur Parkinson (52), of Hamilton Road, was charged with endangering the lives of residents in flats above the shops by wilfully or recklessly setting fire to the mattresses on March 1 this year.

One resident said that he was wakened by a crackling sound.

At first he thought someone was throwing stones at windows, but he smelled smoke and moved quickly to make sure he, his wife and family got out of their flat.

Bellshill fire station manager Gary Mcarthur said a call came in just after 4am and two fire appliances, with a total of nine firefighters, raced to the scene.

He saw that a mattress and a timber fence behind the Subway sandwich shop were burning.

The shop’s air conditioning and refrigeration units were damaged and the flames had spread upwards to damage a toilet on the first floor of the building.

It appeared no-one was injured and the flames were put out in a matter of seconds.

However, firefighters remained at the scene for two-and-a-half hours as a precaution.

Mr Mcarthur explained: “My concern was the fire could have spread to the first floor.

“We had to strip back flooring to make sure that that hadn’t happened.

“We also had to go into the Subway shop to make sure the fire hadn’t spread beyond the air conditioning and refrigeration units.”

The trial stalled after Mr Mcarthur was asked to give his view on how the blaze had started.

He told the court he has attended “hundreds” of fires during a 20-year career in the service.

However, Parkinson’s defence argued that he couldn’t be classed as an “expert witness” and as such couldn’t be asked for an expert opinion.

The prosecution dropped the charge after the court ruled that Mr Mcarthur’s opinion could not be admitted as evidence.

Parkinson had been held custody ahead of the trial.

He was jailed for 13 months in September for punching a police officer and shouting abuse and threats. in

My main concern was that the fire could have spread to the first floor