Jailed for town blaze

A man who started a fire which led to 16 residents being evacuated from their homes has been jailed for two years.

Damage estimated at £100,000 was caused after rubbish was deliberately set alight at the flats in Motherwell town centre.

Lawrence Robinson was caught on CCTV near the properties and told police officers he couldn’t explain the “urges” he gets to start fires.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard police officers on patrol spotted smoke in Menteith Court in the early hours and woke residents in six flats. One man was treated by paramedics at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Robinson, 32, a prisoner, admitted wilfully starting the blaze on December 21 last year.

Imran Bashir, prosecuting, said the accused was seen on CCTV buying items at the town’s Asda at 1.39am. A few minutes later another camera captured him going into Menteith Court then “igniting items” in bins and walking away.

At 2.36am police officers noticed smoke coming from the block and saw “numerous” bins were on fire and that access to the flats was “completely restricted”.

Mr Bashir told the court: “Smoke was billowing, but the officers climbed a rear wall and managed to evacuate 16 residents from the six flats. The housing association which owns the flats estimates damage at £100,000.

“Had the police officers not spotted the smoke there would, undeniably, have been danger to the residents.”

Robinson was arrested after returning to Asda in the early hours of the following morning and being recognised by a security officer. He told police officers he had been “a bit bored” but claimed he wouldn’t have started the fire had he known there were people in flats nearby.

He said: “I don’t know what to tell you. I just get these urges. I didn’t want to harm anyone.”

Defence agent Margaret Chalmers said her client has a long history of substance abuse and lives a “nomadic” existence. Sheriff Douglas Brown backdated the twoyear sentence to December 23 as Robinson had been in custody since his arrest.