Four jailed after mum and children targeted in revenge fire attacks

The four men were jailed at the High Court in Glasgow

Four men have been jailed after carrying out revenge fire attacks on a woman and her family.

Stephen Barry, Ty Hyland, Brandon Phillips and Lewis Yates left the mother and her children “cowering” as their front door went up in flames during two attacks at their home in Midlothian in November 2022.

The woman was targeted after making serious physical and sexual allegations against an unnamed man.

Barry, 32, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for his part in the attacks, Hyland, 21, four-and-a-half years, Phillips, 21, three years and Yates, 25, seven years and two months. All four admitted their guilt at an earlier hearing in July.

The woman and her relatives were attacked twice in two days, but no-one was hurt as a result of the incidents.

She had been in a relationship with the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, until reporting him to the police.

However, a court heard he had continued to hound her and her family.

Smell of accelerant

The woman and her children were awoken by the sound of the fire alarm in the early hours of 10 November 2022.

She said she saw her front door on fire as flames began to come underneath it and on to the carpet.

The woman was said to have called the emergency services and ushered her children into the kitchen for safety, where they sat by an open window.

The door was badly damaged, but the fire appeared to have burned out by the time fire crews arrived to rescue the family from the smoke-filled flat.

Responders noted a strong smell of accelerant, leading to suspicion that the fire was deliberate.

It then emerged that the woman's sister and parents had also been targeted at their home nearby.

There was no fire, but the internal door mat had been soaked in what was thought to be paint thinner.

Footage from a Ring doorbell camera captured Hyland at the scene.

The court heard how woman and her family were targeted again just two days later when a witness saw one of the men setting fire to the front door, while an accomplice filmed on a mobile phone.

No-one was inside the property at the time.

Balaclava-clad men were spotted at the parents' home clutching large glass bottles about 10 minutes later, but that property was also empty.

'Incriminating texts'

It was later found that Barry and Hyland had travelled from Aberdeen in a red Citroen - which was stopped by police later that afternoon - to carry out the crimes.

Barry was driving and his trainers were found to have petrol on them.

Philips was also in the car.

Their mobile phones were seized which held "incriminating texts" and video of the second attack being committed.

A phone and sim card used by Yeats was found in his prison cell on 22 November, 2022.

It was discovered he had been in contact with Hyland as well.

Prosecutor Lorraine Glancy KC said further investigation revealed that all four men had been in contact with the man accused by the mum.

She said: "There were text discussions about the events and prospective payments."

She added that some of the conversations related to the fact that video evidence of the fire attacks was needed before the man accused by the mum would pay the four men.

Yeats and Barry each pled guilty to three charges of wilful fireraising and a breach of the peace.

Philips, who was wearing an electronic tag at the time of the incidents, admitted to being involved in two of the attacks.

Hyland pled guilty to one wilful fireraising and a breach of the peace.

Sentencing, Lady Hood told the four men: "The victims were left feeling unsafe in their own homes - the very place that they ought to feel safe."

The judge also imposed non-harassment orders banning the men from approaching or contacting the woman and her family for an indefinite period.