Teenager appears in Edinburgh court charged with house-breaking and wilful fire raising
A teenager has appeared in court on petition accused of a series of offences including housebreaking and fire raising.
Jamie Soutar, 18, appeared in the dock from custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where he faced five charges of theft by house breaking and two of wilful fire raising.
Soutar was also charged with three allegations of attempted housebreaking with intent to steal along with a charge of using a vehicle with no insurance during the private hearing on Monday, November 3.
The teenager, whose address was only given as East Lothian, made no plea and was granted bail and the case was committed for further examination. His next court appearance date is still to be confirmed.
The court appearance follows a police appeal after alleged incidents took place at addresses in Musselburgh, Prestonpans and Cockenzie in East Lothian and in Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith in Midlothian between Tuesday, October 28, and Friday, October 31 this year.
Detective Sergeant Jordan Sharp said: “Crimes of this nature have a serious impact on the victims, causing them to question the safety and security of their own homes, and I would like to commend the work of the officers investigating this crime series.
“I would also like to thank the various local communities for their assistance with our enquiries to date and reassure the public that any reports of criminality will be investigated thoroughly by Police Scotland.
“Anyone who sees anything suspicious which could be connected with a break-in or a theft should report it immediately via 101, or 999 if it is an emergency.”