Mosque petrol bomb thug avoids jail

Jan 28 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A TEENAGE thug who petrol bombed a West Lothian mosque avoided being jailed after it was judged not to be a race hate crime.

Peter Clark hurled a beer bottle filled with petrol at Livingston Mosque and Community Centre in Craigshill, causing it to go on fire.

The mosque’s Imam, who was expecting women for prayer, was forced to stamp out the flames after spotting the blaze shortly after 4pm on Sunday, August 17.

However, the Crown accepted the 19-year-old had meant to throw the bottle at a fence behind the mosque but was so drunk he missed and hit the religious building by mistake.

Fiscal depute Victoria Greening told Livingston Sheriff Court the Imam found the smouldering remains of the bottle smashed against a door at the rear of the mosque, which was fire damaged.

The police were contacted and the bottle was taken away for DNA testing which proved a match for Clark.

He told police that in the summer of 2008 he had experienced problems with his girlfriend who was pregnant and he found out his father was not his biological father and he turned to alcohol.

He admitted drinking on the day of the offence and had been walking in nearby woods when he came across a green container with petrol in it.

Clark had poured some on the grass and lit it before filling his beer bottle with the flammable liquid.

The father-of-one then approached an area of grassland near the back of the mosque where he put a tissue into the top of the bottle and lit it before throwing it.

“He repeatedly told police it was not his intention to hit the mosque but the fence,” Ms Greening said.

“As a result of it hitting the mosque he panicked and ran back to his mum’s.

“There is no evidence that the crime was racially motivated and the Crown do not believe this was the case.”

The court heard that the fire caused £60 of damage to the building.

Clark, whose address was given as Clyde Drive, Craigshill, pled guilty to culpably and recklessly throwing the flammable liquid at the mosque.

His solicitor, Ian Bryce, told the court his client was not a racist and was not acting in a racist manner.

“I am grateful to my friend for making it clear this is the Crown’s view too,” Mr Bryce said.

“It was an act of profound foolishness, nothing more, nothing less than that.

“He was drunk and discovered this petrol and he larked about with it.

“This case is a primary example of why you should not lark about with flammable liquids.

“In terms of damage he is very lucky that it was only £60 worth of damage here and also lucky no one was hurt.

“There was a brief period of remand in this case and it is not an experience he enjoyed and is anxious not to repeat it.

“Had this been a racially motivated offence I would have had no doubt there would be custody in this case as a disposal but it is not as your lordship has heard.”

Fining Clark £400 and ordering him to pay the mosque £60 in compensation for the damage he caused, Sheriff Alan Millar said the teenager had been very lucky.

Sheriff Millar added: “This incident could have turned out to be so much more serious than it did had the fire really taken effect or had there been injury to people as well as damage to premises. But I do feel this was a momentary act of stupidity at a low point in your life and I hope you have learned from this that playing with fire is not a good thing to get into.

“It is still a serious offence which could have been a potentially much more serious case.”