Man accused of fire bid on sister’s home

A Johnstone man is being prosecuted for allegedly trying to encourage a man to set fire to his sister’s home.

Jordan Cook, of Sheldrake Place, is said to have tried to “instigate and incite John Bates to use accelerant” he “had provided to set fire to the home address of your sister, Jemma Cook.”

Prosecutors claim he tried to torch the flat in Dimity Street, Johnstone, on August 16 this year.

And Cook, 27, is also accused of wilfully setting a fire in the same block of flats on the same date by pouring “a quantity of accelerant and flammable material” through the letterbox of a flat in the block, causing the fire to take effect on the inside of the door, placing the lives of the unnamed individuals inside at risk.

The case against Cook called at Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday.

Defence solicitor advocate Alastair Gray told Sheriff Frances McCartney, Cook was being assessed by medical professionals to see if he understood the charges against him and to see if he was able to instruct a solicitor.

Sh e r i f f McCar t n e y continued the case until next month for a further pre-trial hearing to take place.