Man who carried out flat petrol bomb attack jailed

Colin McGhee was jailed for almost six years over his part in the attack on the flat block in Greenock

A man who carried out an "astonishingly reckless" petrol bomb attack at a block of flats has been jailed.

Colin McGhee was caught after the address of intended victim Craig McFarlane was found in his car's sat nav.

The 28-year-old caused extensive damage to Kincaid Court in Greenock in September 2020.

Lord Scott sentenced him to five years and 10 months in jail over the incident.

Kincaid Court was damaged by the attack in September 2020

The High Court heard how plant machinery firm boss McGhee targeted McFarlane after he and others had taken an "interest" in his business.

McGhee travelled from his home in Falkirk to Greenock in a BMW Gran Coupe on 28 September.

He arrived at the block at around 21:52, at which point a petrol bomb was thrown.

It failed to explode, but the car returned around 25 minutes later.

Two passengers and the driver then went to the flat and poured an accelerant through a smashed window before setting it alight.

Craig McFarlane and five associates were jailed in 2022 for a total of 64 years

McFarlane, himself involved in a series of fire bomb attacks against rivals in the town, returned home to discover the blaze.

He banged on the doors of neighbours to encourage them to evacuate.

Emergency crews were able to extinguish the flames, though there was extensive smoke damage inside.

A brick and a broken bottle were found on a bed inside the flat, while a lighter was uncovered outside by police.

The BMW was later traced and found to be registered to McGhee's father, who bought it for his son.

McGhee insisted fire-bombing was "not [his] style" when held over the attack at the house he shared with his parents.

A check on the car's navigation system found "Greenock Kincaid Court" had been searched as an address.

Sim card data also revealed it had been in the Inverclyde area on the night of the incident.

McFarlane and five associates had been jailed for a total of 64 years for a murder plot stemming from another firebomb attack.

McGhee pleaded guilty to wilfully setting fire to the flat, endangering the lives of McFarlane and others when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this month.

Lord Scott said: "Having displayed an astonishing level of recklessness towards the safety of others, you have expressed what I accept to be genuine remorse.

"It is necessary to punish you and to seek to deter you and others from behaving in this way and to protect the public from you."