A teenager who started a blaze at a Kinross-shire nature reserve and destroyed a £40,000 bird hide has avoided being locked up.
The 17-year-old filmed himself and a friend torching a wheelie bin at the award-winning Mill Hide on the banks of Loch Leven.
The blaze, which engulfed the hardwood building and reduced it to a burned-out shell, sent shockwaves through the local community.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court having earlier admitted a charge of wilful fire-raising on February 18 2021.
Sheriff Euan Duthie told him: “Were it not for the fact you were 16 at the time of this offence, you would not be going home today.
“However, I am prepared to deal with this by way of a community payback order.”
The teenager, from Glenrothes, was ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and placed on supervision for two years.
“If you fail to comply you will be brought back to court and it is clear that you will face imprisonment,” said the sheriff.
Caught on camera
The court heard the teenager pushed a bin into the hide, before using a lighter to set it on fire.
Fiscal depute Marie Lyons said it was quickly established that the blaze was suspicious, because there was no power source at the location.
She said police received multiple calls about videos of the fire, showing the accused, circulating on social media.
“It showed the bird hide clearly alight and the other youth was heard calling the accused by name.
“He said: ‘That’s a real fire that is. Holy f**k – it’s coming out. Ooh, ya c**t’.”
When the teenager was traced and arrested, he was wearing the same hoodie he had on the night of the fire.
It had clearly visible scorch marks on the back.
‘Terrified’ of custody
Solicitor Chris Sneddon, defending, told the court: “He is well aware of the various disposals open to the court today.
“I asked him earlier how he would feel if the worst happened and he told me he was terrified.”
Mr Sneddon said: “The green shoots of maturity are starting to show and that is partly due to the fact that he is abstaining from alcohol.
“He is deeply remorseful and very much committed to making sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
The Mill Hide, built in 2011 and situated on the loch banks behind the cashmere factory in Kinross, won awards for its architectural design.
Construction of the replacement building – named the Phoenix Hide – began on March 15 and was officially opened to the public last month.
NatureScot chair Mike Cantlay and reserve manager Neil Mitchell were joined by the Kinross Beavers to cut the ribbon and officially open the new bird hide.
Mr Cantlay said: “To see the new Phoenix Hide rise from the ashes has been wonderful and it just would not have been possible without the incredible efforts of the local community, businesses and the wider public.”
