A BARRHEAD firebug who was caught on CCTV as he started a blaze outside a sandwich shop has dodged a jail sentence.

Mark Stewart, 21, of Langton Crescent, started the fire behind the Subway store, in the town’s Main Street, on November 16, 2018.

He admitted the offence at Paisley Sheriff Court in February, after claims the fire damaged electrical gear were deleted from the charge.

His 23-year-old brother, John James Stewart, had also been accused of the same offence but his plea of not guilty was accepted by the Crown.

The court was told how, after starting the fire, Mark Stewart watched the flames take hold before fleeing the scene. Firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze and police were alerted.

Cops examined footage from CCTV and identified Stewart.

Stewart returned to the dock yesterday to learn his fate.

Defence solicitor Kirsty McGeehan told Sheriff Tom McCartney that her client, who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, knew it was a serious matter.

As he spared Stewart prison, Sheriff McCartney told him: “Wilful fireraising is a very serious crime and one that the courts take a very serious view of.”

Stewart was handed a two-year Community Payback Order, which will involve social work supervision, and a 180-day Restriction of Liberty Order, which will see him electronically tagged and having to remain at home every night.

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