Jilted woman set fire to ex-girlfriend’s flat

flat, propped it up against the door, and set alight laces of the shoe wear causing the blaze to ignite in the stairwell.

Fiscal depute Keri Marshall told the court: “The complainer Ms Watt and the accused Ms Gilmour had previously been in a relationship.

“Ms Watt formed a new relationship with witness Mr Hughes.

“Both cohabited at the locus, Morar Drive, Linwood, which is a top floor flat, one of six in the building.

“At 5.06am witness Mr Hughes was woken by the smoke alarm in their house. Mr Hughes went to the front door and opened it.

“At this time he was met with flames at the door.

“He described it as a ‘wall of fire.’

“Mr Hughes threw water on the fire. This seemed to extinguish it. He noticed that a shoe stand was alight. This had been from the neighbour’s property, a top floor flat, and moved to the front door of the flat they were in.”

The court heard the couple were “frightened” their property had been deliberately targeted with their front door set alight.

The fiscal added when the fire service attended, crews discovered the shoe wear was still smouldering and doused the items with water to prevent them from re-igniting.

Prosecutor Ms Marshall said at around the same time that police had received a barrage of calls from motorists travelling on the A737 linking Linwood and Johnstone.

She said: “The calls related to a female wearing a pink tracksuit walking along the grass near to the road. “Police resources were dispatched and traced the home address of the accused who was found to be wearing a pink track suit.

“A female identifying herself as Lisa Gilmour had contacted police and said she was heading to her expartner’s house to kill her and then was going to kill herself.

“When the accused was traced to her home, her pink track suit was taken and forensically analysed and was found to have black stains on the right sleeve of the top.

“Also black material on the cuffs, which was found to be chemically similar to melted boots found at the locus.”

Gilmour of Ness Avenue, Johnstone, pleaded to guilty to a charge of wilful fire- raising at the Linwood flat in that she had previously evinced malice and ill will towards her former partner Ms Watt.

She had deliberately set fire to footwear on a shoe rack which was placed against the front door where fire took effect, to the danger of the lives of said Kara Watt and also Peter Hughes, both residing there on September 16.

Defence agent Charlie McCusker said his client was distraught and suicidal after her partner dumped her for a man.

He said: “She contacted police to let them know she was going there. There is no dispute about what happened.

“When she got to the locus she was incoherent, upset and crying.

“She then seen travelling back along the dual carriageway at the side of the road. She was intoxicated. She had taken vodka and Valium.

“She had been in relationship with Ms Watt for about three years. Around six weeks before the incident, Ms Watt had met Mr Hughes and she indicated to the accused that she liked him.

“However there never was any indication of the relationship, but she suspected there was, and matters come to head.”

The court heard Gilmour now fully accepts her relationship with Ms Watt is completely over.

Sheriff Frances McCartney told the accused: “You have never served a period of imprisonment. All options remain open to me. Your application for bail is refused and you will be remanded in custody for the preparation of a Criminal Justice Social Work Report.”

Gilmour will discover her fate when she returns to court on January 7.