A jilted lover torched his ex’s car after she kicked him out of her house.
Scott Innes set fire to her car, leaving it written off and also causing damage to the house, because he felt “used”.
The 41-year-old was branded “incredibly stupid” and “childish” by Sheriff Philip Mann, who ordered him to pay his ex compensation as part of his punishment.
Fiscal depute Christy Ward told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “The accused and the woman had been in a relationship for approximately eight months.
“They did not formally live together, however due to the accused sustaining an injury to his arm he had been staying at the locus since January 23, 2020.
“During the evening of February 5 the woman asked the accused to leave her home as he had overstayed his welcome. He did so without issue.
“At 1am on February 6 she was awoken by a neighbour banging on the front door.
“Upon looking outside she saw that her car, a Fiat 500 that had been parked in the driveway, was on fire.”
She left the house and police and fire crews were contacted.
Innes was spotted nearby in a green Vauxhall Vectra and police were informed.
Ms Ward said: “CCTV inquiries at a petrol station close to the accused’s home showed him filling up a green jerry can at approximately 11.20pm on February 5.
“He was later cautioned, arrested and interviewed during which he admitted to setting fire to the car and said he did it because he felt used.
“The car was written off due to the damage caused. The woman received £4,056 from her insurance company and required to pay a £150 excess.”
Ms Ward told the court the heat of the fire also caused damage to the house itself, with a bay window needing to be replaced.
The driveway also had to be re-tarmacked, the garage door replaced, guttering and pipes replaced, and woodwork cleaned and repainted.
The work was paid for by the woman’s home insurance, but she had to pay a £200 excess.
Ms Ward said the complainer was “fearful” of Innes and asked for a non-harassment order to be imposed.
Innes pled guilty to wilfully setting fire to the car at an address in Kingswells.
Defence agent Stuart Flowerdew said his client had “never previously come to the attention of the courts”.
He said: “We’re dealing with an individual who is making his first and I would imagine his only appearance before the courts.
“He’s been involved in a number of relationships but for one reason or another these have not continued.
“He had been living in the home of the complainer. He indicates that he had been staying with her during a time when she was having some work carried out on the house and he was doing this for her.
“At the end of this she told him there was no longer any reason for him to stay in the house and he could leave, and at that time he felt he was being used.”
Mr Flowerdew said setting fire to the car was an “inappropriate and dangerous thing to do”.
Sheriff Philip Mann told Innes, of Crosslett Court in Inverurie: “This may be your first venture into the criminal justice system, but you have entered it in quite spectacular fashion.
“What you did was incredibly foolhardy, incredibly stupid and incredibly dangerous.
“The result could have been catastrophic. I really don’t know what you were thinking you would achieve by acting in this manner.
“It’s beyond petulance and it seems to me extremely childish behaviour for which there can be no excuse.”
He ordered Innes to be supervised for two years, to complete the Caledonian programme and to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff also handed Innes a £600 compensation order and imposed a five-year non-harassment order.
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