Glasgow Cathcart by-election 2005

saltire shield'The pains and pressures and disappointments of public life have affected him. He will not be the first or the last person to seek relief from more alcohol than is wise, nor the first or last to fail to recognise boundaries there.'
Paul Burns, Lord Watson's solicitor, 22 nd September 2005.		Lion Rampant

Downfall of fireraiser Watson complete

By John Robertson, Law Correspondent, in the Scotsman 23 rd September 2005

Key points

LABOUR peer Mike Watson's fall from grace was completed yesterday when he was led in handcuffs and with head bowed to the cells to start a 16-month jail sentence for fireraising.

The former MSP's lawyer had made an impassioned plea for him to be spared prison, highlighting a drink problem and the "tragedy" of his wife losing a child after IVF treatment.

However, Sheriff Kathrine Mackie said background reports showed Watson posed a high risk of re-offending.

"I believe a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal. No other disposal would, in my view, address the concern for public safety," she said.

Watson, 56, raised his eyebrows to his wife, Clare, 31, who was in tears, as he was taken from the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. He can expect to serve at least half of the sentence before parole, although his legal team could seek to have him released pending an appeal.

Malcolm Brown, a spokesman for Watson, said it would be wrong to comment further until the sheriff's judgment had been studied. Mr Brown conceded that Watson's public life in Scotland was "pretty much in tatters". Asked if Watson would return to the Lords, Mr Brown stated: "I do not see why he can't."

Three weeks ago, Watson resigned as MSP for Glasgow Cathcart after pleading guilty to a charge of wilful fireraising causing danger to life at Edinburgh's Prestonfield House Hotel in November last year.

He had attended the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards ceremony and became rude to staff and demanded more drink at the end of the evening. He was caught on CCTV using matches to set a curtain smouldering in the reception area.

He walked away and the footage showed him returning - "as if checking" said the prosecution - and again leaving. He made no attempt to raise the alarm. Within seconds, the curtains went up in flames and the room filled with black smoke. A fire alarm sounded, and hotel staff doused the flames. No-one was hurt but the damage cost £4,500 to repair.

Yesterday, Watson appeared for sentencing. His solicitor, Paul Burns, said Watson had no recollection and found the events of that night incomprehensible, and it seemed they had occurred in an alcohol-induced blackout.

"The psychiatric report clearly indicates alcohol has become problematic for him," he said. The case had been a "painful voyage of self-discovery for Watson", a man who had given significant public service.

"The pains and pressures and disappointments of public life have affected him. He will not be the first or the last person to seek relief from more alcohol than is wise, nor the first or last to fail to recognise boundaries there.

"I think the reports show somebody heading unwittingly towards a dangerous situation and arriving there without recognising the fact."

Mr Burns also referred to personal disappointments and singled out as significant an event a few months before the offence.

"I believe a contributing factor to all this was the disappointment he and his wife felt after the initial wonderful news for them of success at last of IVF treatment which turned some months later to a loss. I do not doubt the loss of that child, a child that promised so much happiness and fulfilment, had an effect."

Sheriff Mackie said a background report spoke of Watson's awareness of the effects of the offence on him and his wife, but of "very little victim awareness". She told Watson: "Fireraising is a most serious crime. By pleading guilty to this charge, you have acknowledged that you intended to set on fire property at Prestonfield House Hotel whereby property was damaged and lives were endangered.

"The potential for serious injury to guests and staff within the hotel and for significant damage to property was considerable. That there was neither injury nor more significant damage was due entirely to the prompt and efficient actings of staff and the standard of safety equipment properly and readily available in the hotel.

"No explanation has been offered for your actions. A large amount of alcohol appears to have been consumed but that neither excuses nor fully explains your behaviour. This is not an offence that is committed recklessly.

"While, in considering sentence, I have taken into account your previous virtually unblemished record, I have to say that someone in public office ought to know how to conduct himself on all occasions.

"Even giving the most favourable consideration to mitigating factors, having regard to the deliberate and dangerous nature of your conduct, and the assessment by the author of the social inquiry report that you present a significant risk of re-offending and to public safety, I believe a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal."

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