A teenager who set fire to a close forcing residents to jump out their windows has been jailed for almost two years.
The youth, who we can't name because he is aged 17, was jailed by Sheriff William Gallacher at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week for his "utter disregard" for others.
The boy, from Clydebank, and his parents looking on from the public benches, showed no emotion as he was led to detention for 20 months. He will be supervised for a further nine months upon his release.
One resident had to jump 10-12 feet to safety from the property in West Thomson Street on June 7, 2015 as thick black smoke filled the building.
The youth, then 16, had told friends he wanted to start a fire, then boasted about it at school the next day.
His defence solicitor told the court last week that he accepted he was facing a period in custody after his actions, which could be pegged to "stupidity" or "someone young and immature not thinking through his actions".
"He accepts full responsibility," said the lawyer.
Sheriff Gallacher, who admitted he had "anxiety" about detaining someone so young, said custody was the only option after a guilty plea to wilful fire raising.
He said: "This was a fire that you set absolutely deliberately. You told people you were going to do it and you set about doing it, and in a building that was occupied.
"I'm satisfied it was not your intention to cause harm. If it was, I would now being sending you to the High Court.
"I cannot mark the gravity of the offense with anything other than depriving you of your liberty."
The sheriff said in light of the considerable injuries to tenants in the building, he had to "make good to them" for the "loss they have sustained and the anguish and terror they have sustained".
Reported by our sister publication The Clydebank Post, a 31-year-old woman who lived on the ground floor went out through her window to flee to safety from the fire.
A 63-year-old woman pushed through the smoke but stumbled down a short flight of steps, falling and damaging her knee and hip before she got out.
But the 53-year-old man on the upper floor tried to go out through his window, using the drainpipe to get down to the ground, only for it to fall away and land him on his back and one of his feet. He broke his foot and had a compressed fracture of the spine.
There was more than £9,300 in damage to the building.
The fire service welcomed the stiff sentence for the boy.
Area Manager Jim Hymas, senior officer for Dunbartonshire and Argyll & Bute, said: "The sentence handed down shows how serious starting a fire is.
“This reckless, criminal behaviour risks not only the lives of those responsible, but also the lives of firefighters and of people throughout our community.
“Having to deal with fires that have been deliberately started ties-up our firefighters – that could delay us getting to real emergencies and when someone is trapped in a house fire or after a serious car crash then every second counts."
He added: "I would urge anyone with information on people who deliberately start fires should share it with police via the 101 line or, alternatively, share it anonymously with Crimestoppers Scotland by calling 0800 555111.”
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