A vengeful husband who torched a BMW on a Fife street after learning another man was having an affair with his wife has been jailed.
Darren Reape bought petrol at a filling station in Cowdenbeath before setting the car alight in St Ronans Gardens, Crosshill, on June 1 last year.
The 32-year-old appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for sentencing, having previously pled guilty to setting fire to the vehicle after sending a message threatening violence to his rival a few weeks before.
Sheriff Charles Macnair jailed Reape for 18 months and told him: “This was a revenge attack”.
Burned out BMW
Prosecutor Douglas Thomson told the court previously that shortly before April 15 2022 Reape had learned of the affair.
Both men had known each other for over a year and were on friendly terms and there had been difficulties in both of their marriages.
Messages sent by Reape on April 15 to the man included “I am not stopping until I see you.”
He said: “You cannot hide in a hotel the rest of your life, face the music,” and “you have made the biggest mistake of your life you dirty, dirty ba***rd”.
On May 29 or 30, the victim’s partner parked and locked the BMW.
On June 1, after 10pm, Reape obtained a can of petrol from a filling station in Cowdenbeath, telling the man driving him that it was for a motorbike.
Reape left the vehicle and walked to St Monans Gardens and used the petrol to set fire to the BMW, returned to the car and told the driver to drive off.
Mr Thomson said the BMW became engulfed with flames and firefighters arrived a short time later.
Windows and doors of a nearby property were also damaged, as was a works van in the street.
Admission
In late July last year, police had reason to speak to Reape about an unconnected matter but the officers were aware he was a fireraising suspect.
After being charged, he began asking officers about the other man, saying he was “going to find” the complainer and that this is why he put on a balaclava and burned his car.
Reape, of Drumshoreland Road, Pumpherston, admitted fireraising in Crosshill and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by sending the earlier text message.
In his plea in mitigation, defence lawyer Alan Davie said Reape’s extreme dislike of the complainer festered for a long time and he wanted to gain a degree of revenge.
He said he learned the whereabouts of the complainer’s car on the day of the offence and took the opportunity to set fire to it.
The lawyer said Reape had been drinking alcohol at the time.
He said his client has had time to reflect the consequences could have been more serious.
Jailed for ‘revenge attack’
The sheriff pointed out Reape had been given multiple community payback orders in the past but continued to offend.
In sentencing, he said Reape effectively followed through with the threats he made to his victim in April.
Sheriff Macnair said between those dates it appears Reape had been searching for the man.
The sheriff told him: “This was a revenge attack.
“There is no mitigation in the circumstances, in my view.
“Charge four of this indictment is far too serious for a CPO where you, having searched for the complainer, then bought petrol, went to his car, put petrol on his car, set fire to it, destroying it and damaging neighbouring property – both vehicles and a house.
“In all the circumstances I am entirely satisfied there is no alternative but custody”.
The sheriff sentenced Reape to 18 months, reduced from two years due to his early guilty plea.
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