Former Labour MSP Mike Watson has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for starting a fire which endangered lives at an Edinburgh hotel last November.
Earlier this month, Lord Watson had admitted wilful fire-raising.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Kathrine Mackie said a social enquiry assessment had concluded there was a significant risk of Watson re-offending.
However, the sheriff reduced his sentence from 20 months to 16 because of his pre-trial guilty plea.
Lord Watson, 56, admitted setting fire to a curtain after a heavy drinking session at the Scottish Politician of the Year awards ceremony at the Prestonfield House Hotel last November.
The blaze caused £4,500 worth of damage.
The potential for serious injury to guests and staff within the hotel, and for very significant damage to the property, was considerable
After being sentenced, Watson was taken to Saughton Prison in Edinburgh. He will be transferred to a prison near his home in the next week.
He had initially denied he was responsible, despite CCTV footage showing him crouching down at the base of a curtain just minutes before it was engulfed in flames.
After pleading guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at the beginning of September, he stepped down as an MSP, triggering a by-election in his former Glasgow Cathcart constituency, and resigned as a director of Dundee United football club.
In a statement, a Labour spokesman said: "Mr Watson has been expelled from the Labour Party. "His sentence illustrates that if you commit a serious crime in Scotland, no matter who you are, you must face the consequences. That is right."
Scottish Conservative home affairs spokeswoman and deputy leader Annabel Goldie said: "The sentence actually served will not be 16 months.
"Thanks to Labour and Lib Dem insistence of preserving automatic early release, Lord Watson will be out of jail after serving only half his sentence, eight months."
from the bbc
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment