Labourer set fire to static caravan near Buckie

A labourer has appeared in court for setting a static caravan ablaze near Buckie in revenge for losing his job.

Scott Finnie, who is currently serving a six-month jail sentence for flying a drone near Aberdeen Airport, admitted wilful fire raising.

The 36-year-old came to a croft near Buckie on August 19 last year after answering a Gumtree advert and supplying references.

In the brief time he stayed there Finne would sleep two nights a week in a tent near the caravan.

However, Inverness Sheriff Court was told, his new prospective employer quickly began to have her doubts.

The woman contacted a reference supplied by Finnie and learned of previous convictions and involvement with the police.

Fiscal depute Susan Love said: "On August 28, 2023 she texted him and advised him she knew of his previous convictions and not to return. He was instructed to get a third party to collect his belongings."

Finnie was said to have replied by calling her a "rich bitch", adding that he could go anywhere he wanted in Scotland.

Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald heard that Finnie of Stuart Court, Edinburgh, had told his partner he had fallen out with the woman.

This was on September 12, the day of the fire.

That night the caravan burst into flames and the fire brigade were called.

Firefighters could not determine how the blaze began, but confirmed that it was deliberate.

One firefighter who saw Finnie at the scene described him as looking "nervous and distressed".

Suspecting Finnie, the croft owner contacted the police.

The court heard that the defendant had returned home looking upset.

He was said to have told his partner that he’d set fire to a bed in the caravan and a gas canister had blown up.

Defence solicitor Grant Daglish suggested a background report might be useful on his client, who is currently serving a six month jail sentence for deploying a drone in a no-fly zone near Dyce Airport in proximity to an aircraft and a helicopter.

Sentencing in the fire-raising case was adjourned for a report to be prepared by social workers.