A Forfar man who spent four weeks in intensive care after starting an £11,000 fire in his own flat has been placed on probation.
Robert Watson cheated death last summer after being dragged in his underpants from the blazing town tenement when he set fire to a cupboard.
Watson (41) had spent the previous day getting the Threewells Drive property ready for the return of his twin brother but early the next morning a neighbour saw smoke pouring from the bedroom of the flat.
Police and fire crews forced entry to the flat and found the psychiatric patient lying in his bedroom with a burn on his head. Watson was resuscitated and taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
A subsequent investigation revealed the blaze had started in a cupboard which housed a water tank and boiler, with signs that something had been placed on top of the tank.
Watson later told police he had been drunk, had a lighter and that things in his mind were “going on and on”.
“I could have killed folk in that flat. To tell the truth, I don’t know what I was doing,” he told officers.
On Thursday, Watson, now of Carseview Terrace, Lunanhead, appeared before Sheriff Kevin Veal for sentence after several continuations of the case to obtain background reports.
The in-depth reports were called for after the court heard the accused suffered from significant psychiatric issues and had been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder.
Defence agent Nick Markowski said his client was making progress with his long-standing difficulties.
Mr Markowski said: “This is a most regrettable incident.”
He had earlier told the court that the timing of the offence was significant as his client had been receiving monthly medical injections to help his condition, but when that was approaching he would become increasingly agitated.
Mr Markowski said psychiatric services were offering support and Mr Watson was now living in a “less vulnerable” setting, away from his twin.
The lawyer said: “The most important thing is to ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again.”
Despite the significant amount of damage, the agent said compensation for the £11,355 of repairs to the council house was unrealistic.
Mr Markowski said: “Given his situation and his level of income he would be paying it forever more.”
Sheriff Veal said that the gravity of the offence should be appropriately marked.
He said: “The quantum of the damage, allied to the fact that other people were put at serious risk, does concern me. This event, although not wilful, was culpable.”
He added: “I accept that there is a medical and psychiatric background and I do not shy away from that. There is an important public aspect to this case, but I think the financial position is totally unrealistic in terms of compensation.”
The sheriff said: “There needs to be some ongoing monitoring of Mr Watson and I intend to impose a two-year probation order.”
A specific condition requiring Watson to undertake psychiatric and medical support as directed by those looking after his case was also applied.