Domestic abuser set fire to ex's home while five-year-old child trapped inside
Craig Higgs was sentenced to seven years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday
A domestic abuser who started a fire outside his former partner's home in Musselburgh while she and a five-year-old child were trapped inside has been jailed for seven years.
Craig Higgs set fire to a barbecue, a bag of coals and other items in the communal stairwell of the flats in Bellfield Court in April 2022.
The 37-year-old was caught on CCTV walking towards the flats at around 8.26pm on the night of April 22, and leaving the area at 8.36pm.
His ex-partner and the young child were trapped inside the flat as the building filled with thick smoke.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used an enforcer and an axe to gain entry to the property and rescue them. Several other residents were also unable to leave the building while firefighters tackled the blaze.
Higgs was arrested by police around three hours later and found with a lighter. Witnesses also reported seeing a man matching his description near the scene.
The 37-year-old appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday where he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
During the trial, the court was shown footage of Higgs in the area shortly before the fire broke out as he walked towards Bellfield Court.
Higgs was found guilty of wilful fire-raising, endangering the lives of his former partner, a child and other residents.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of threatening or abusive behaviour on the first day of trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Procurator Fiscal Sineidin Corrins, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “Craig Higgs deliberately set a fire which left his former partner and a young child trapped inside their home and placed the lives of other residents in immediate danger.
“This was a calculated and deeply reckless act that put an entire community at risk and could easily have had fatal consequences.
“Domestic abuse takes many forms, but it is always harmful and can have devastating consequences for victims, their families and the wider community.
“Scotland’s prosecutors will continue to do everything we can to hold offenders accountable while supporting those affected through the prosecution process.
“No one should have to live in fear of a partner or former partner, and I would urge anyone affected by this type of offending to seek support.”