East Lothian crime: Firebug caused £20,000 of damage to Queen Margaret University

A drunk fire-raiser who caused thousands of pounds of damage after he set a blaze at a Scottish university has been ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.
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Jonathan Brown set fire to a pile of leaves within a storage area in a bid to keep warm at Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh, East Lothian, in July 2020.

Brown, 33, was spotted on CCTV moving dangerous cylinders of helium, butane gas, and C02 out of the way before he lit the blaze.

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The fire then spread out of control to nearby a building and was said to have caused around £20,000 of damage to the university campus.

Fire-starter: Jonathan BrownFire-starter: Jonathan Brown
Fire-starter: Jonathan Brown

Brown had previously pleaded guilty to wilful fire raising when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and he returned to the dock for sentencing.

Sheriff Alistair Noble was told the Crown accepted Brown had moved the gas canisters away from the fire and the combustible material involved was said to be a pile of leaves.

The sheriff noted the offence was “a serious matter” but said he could deal with the sentencing in a non-custodial way.

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Brown was told he must complete the maximum of 300 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months as punishment.

Previously the court was told Brown arrived at the Queen Margaret University campus by bus and was seen on CCTV walking about the grounds for around 90 minutes on July 5, 2020.

He was seen drinking from a can and smoking before heading to the storage area where the flames were subsequently spotted after a fire alarm was activated at around 1.45am.

Security staff spotted Brown “running off” from the area and the fire service arrived just after 2am to find the area under a main stairwell on well alight.

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Procurator fiscal depute Jennifer McLaren said fire fighters took around “15 minutes to gain control of the fire” before the fire commander spotted 18 gas canisters within the area.

Police were called and retrieved a cigarette from the surrounding area before viewing the CCTV which showed Brown walking about while “under the influence”.

The court was told Brown, of Wardlaw Place, Edinburgh, then handed himself in to police two days after the incident.