A woman in Ashgill, Lanarkshire, was startled awake by her smoke alarm at 2:30am on February 25, 2024, to discover that someone had set fire to her front door. The perpetrator, Filip Tekiel, 24, of Dunkeld Place, Hamilton, has now admitted wilful fireraising at Hamilton Sheriff Court and faces a possible jail sentence.
Attack on a Random Stranger's Home
Prosecutor Calum Frame told the court that the woman initially thought a neighbour's caravan was ablaze after seeing an orange glow through her door. Upon opening the door, she found a blue plastic box on the step that appeared to be the source of the flames. She kicked the box away, fetched water, and extinguished the fire herself. The box contained petrol, and a piece of paper used to ignite it bore Tekiel's DNA.
Police retrieved CCTV and doorbell camera footage showing an individual lighting the box with paper. The woman, who was unharmed, told police she had no idea why anyone would target her. The fire caused £1,130 in damage to the front door, which was subsequently replaced.
Court Proceedings and Sheriff's Warning
Sheriff Kevin McCallum KC addressed Tekiel directly, stating: “You set fire to the front door of a random stranger’s house in the wee small hours. This used to be a hanging offence. It could have been much worse. Thank goodness she had a smoke detector. Custody has to be foremost in my mind and you should be prepared for that being the most likely outcome.”
Defence lawyer Gregor Jarrott said Tekiel had “no excuse” for his behaviour, explaining that at the time he was “associating with a certain peer group” and “in a bad space in terms of his mental health.” Tekiel is currently subject to a community payback order for cocaine dealing and carrying a blade, with Jarrott noting he is “engaging well” with the order.
Sentence Deferred for Reports
Sheriff McCallum deferred sentence until next month for background reports and an electronic tagging assessment. Tekiel was granted continued bail pending the outcome. The court will reconvene to determine the final sentence, with custody considered the most probable result.
