A man has been jailed for setting fire to his own house, endangering the life of his wife and a child and killing two dogs.
Colin Urquhart ”snapped” after a series of arguments with his spouse.
Cupar Sheriff Court heard how a three-year-old child watched in horror as Urquhart grabbed a bottle of turpentine and a lighter before setting fire to bags of clothes in his living room.
His wife fled the property with the child, but the pair’s two pet dogs were killed as flames ripped through the house.
Urquhart initially remained inside but eventually leapt out through a window before running from the scene.
He was arrested after calling police, calmly stating: ”I have just burnt my wife’s house down and I want to hand myself in.”
The court heard the end-terraced home Urquhart had shared with his wife in the peaceful Fife village of Strathmiglo was gutted as a result of the blaze.
Appearing in court on Thursday, the 32-year-old of Claymore Drive in Glenrothes admitted that on February 21 he wilfully set fire to bundles of clothes within the marital home.
The charges stated that the house was ”rendered uninhabitable” as a result of the blaze.
Meanwhile, the lives of Urquhart’s wife and a three-year-old child were endangered and two dogs were killed.
Depute fiscal Brian Robertson said: ”The accused and his wife had been married for eight years and had a volatile relationship. They had separated in December of last year and the accused moved out and took a property nearby.”
However, Urquhart was finding it difficult to keep up with both the rent on his own property and mortgage payments on the marital home. As a result he eventually gave up his own accommodation and slept rough in a car for a time before contacting his wife by text message, saying he planned to move back in.
”He moved back … and they would often argue about money,” the depute fiscal continued. ”On February 21 his wife was carrying out some work on a computer in the living room when the accused began to shout at her about money matters.
”She did not respond as she believed he was trying to get a reaction. The accused then went into the kitchen … and came back with a bottle of turps in one hand and a lighter in the other.”
Mr Robertson described how the three-year-old child was standing watching from the living room doorway as Urquhart shouted: ”I am leaving you with nothing” and set fire to two bin bags full of clothes.
Urquhart’s wife quickly fled from the property with the child and dialled 999.
After taking refuge in a field for a time, Urquhart eventually contacted police, saying he wanted to hand himself in. When interviewed, he described his marriage as ”horrible” but insisted he had never intended to kill anyone.
”He said he shouted at the dogs when he set the fire and was of the opinion they had escaped,” Mr Robertson added.
Solicitor Alan Davie described Urquhart as a first offender who had ”snapped” as arguments spiralled out of control.
”The relationship (between the accused and his wife) was extremely tense and he became very emotional and paranoid,” the defence agent said. ”Mr Urquhart was not thinking clearly … and this was very much a spur of the moment thing.”
After studying victim impact statements, Sheriff Charles Macnair sentenced Urquhart to 31 and a half months behind bars along with a further one-year supervised release order.