A mattress-burning OAP who threatened to kill his son before sparking a bedroom blaze at an Angus caravan park has escaped a jail term.
Edward Deick’s lawyer said the frail 70-year-old would be “vulnerable” if he was sent behind bars but the OAP was left in no doubt by a sheriff that he had narrowly avoided jail for the “serious and dangerous” offence.
Deick appeared for sentence before Sheriff Pino Di Emidio at Forfar having earlier admitted the charge of culpably and recklessly setting fire to the mattress in a bedroom at Barry Downs at Carnoustie last April.
He had also behaved in a threatening or abusive manner at the park, on a journey to Arbroath police office and at the police station by making threats of violence towards his wife and telling police that when released from custody he would murder his son.
Depute fiscal Stewart Duncan said Deick had gone out to the pub shortly before 8pm and when he arrived home a few hours later was heard swearing and muttering under his breath.
He went into the bedroom and put on the light so his wife got up and went into the living room to read a book, the court heard.
“He went in there swearing and muttering under his breath, and then about five minutes later heard the smoke alarm going off. She went through to the bedroom and saw flames coming from the mattress and him standing beside the window,” added the fiscal.
Fortunately Mrs Deick was able to extinguish the fire with a duvet and when police arrived the accused told them: “I did it, I tried to set the whole place up.”
On the way to Arbroath police station he made threats towards his son, telling officers: “When I get out I’m going to go back and kill him, I’m going to do time for him.”
Defence solicitor Gary McIlravey said there were domestic issues and the accused had been drinking, but social work reports had indicated that there appeared to be no clear trigger for the offence.
“He does not drink in the house and when he does drink it is by going elsewhere,” he said.
He said Deick had not been back to Barry Downs and had been living in homeless and supported accommodation.
Sheriff Di Emidio placed the pensioner on a six-month restriction of liberty order under which he will be fitted with an electronic tag confining him to his home between 8pm and 7am daily.
He told Deick: “You need to be punished for a very serious and very dangerous thing that you did.”