A BACKGROUND report has been ordered into a 40-year-old man who borrowed a cigarette lighter and then said he was going to burn down his friend's house.
The man who gave Anthony Demarco the lighter thought he was joking, Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told at a previous hearing.
But Demarco, who was intoxicated at the time, carried out his pledge resulting in people gathering in the Duns street, screaming at the house occupier and his friend to vacate the building.
He admitted wilful fire-raising but had been of good behaviour for the past 12 months during a period of deferred sentence.
His lawyer told the court he had saved up £1,000 as compensation for the damage caused in the fire.
Sentence was further deferred until February 28.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here