A middle-aged Caucasian man was arrested for religious hate crimes after setting places of worship alight.
Paul Johnson leaked petrol onto the doors of both a Gudwara and a Methodist Church. He informed authorities that he wished to be caught in the act, and had hoped to watch both buildings go up in flames.
The 49-year-old was given a hearing at Edinburgh Crown Court. Those in attendance heard how on an evening just a few weeks prior; he bought a container of petrol for £3.51 from a nearby fuelling station.
Before 5 am the following morning, an early worshipper attending the Temple noticed a fire had broken out by the entranceway. He immediately notified a man sleeping in the quarters within and authorities were contacted.
The fire brigade was called, and it took a total of two high-rise engines and 11 firefighters to tackle the blaze. Luckily, no one was killed or injured during the attack.
Just a few hours later, the groundskeeper at Leith Methodist Church identified a smell of petrol and fumes near the front door of the building. After noticing no flames were present, he cleaned up the entranceway. However, he heard about the incident at the Gurdwara shortly afterwards and reported the incident to the Police.
Security recordings from the locality showed Johnson walking up the Church between 12.03 am and 12.13 am, with a bright flare of light being visible. CCTV footage from the Gurdwara about 40 minutes thereafter revealed him approaching the doors and lighting a piece of paper while holding onto a jerry can.
He came back to the premises twice on the same night to light more paper and toss it towards the door before making a getaway on foot. Police arrested and detained Johnson after spotting him in Leith in the early hours of the morning around two days after the crimes. When interrogated about his involvement in the fires, he immediately admitted his part and said: “I did it.”
Advocate depute Alan Cameron told the court: “The accused was asked as to his motivation for the fires and stated that he was looking to make a political statement, but would not provide further details. When asked whether this was religiously motivated, he stated that he has no issue with any particular religion, but his issues are with religion and God in general.”
Johnson has previous convictions on his record for reckless and culpable conduct. He has previously served a 4-month prison sentence in 2017. For his latest offence, he is to be sentenced for up to 4 years in prison.
By Manisha Bhanot
