A football fan who accidentally set fire to a rival supporter dressed in a sheep costume has been ordered to pay him £25,000 in compensation.
Hibernian fan Peter Wallace, 24, of St Andrews, set Arjuna Rabindranath alight while they were on a train, causing him to suffer serious burns. He needed extensive treatment following the attack, which took place on an Edinburgh to Aberdeen train last October. The pair were among fans who were dressed for Halloween, on their way home from the game.
Wallace admitted culpable and reckless conduct at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Wallace – who is heir to a farm said to be worth millions of pounds – repeatedly flicked a lighter near Mr Rabindranath’s costume while both were on the train. The costume, which was made of a white tracksuit covered in cotton wool, caught fire. The victim suffered serious burns to more than 40 per cent of his body as a result. He stayed in hospital until January, and then discharged himself into the care of his mother.
The court heard that Wallace admitted to police at Kirkcaldy railway station that he had just been ‘mucking about with a lighter’ and had accidentally set fire to Mr Rabindranath.
David Bell, defending, said that Wallace had a previous football-related conviction. The pair had met on the train and they had been talking ‘in good humour.’ He added that Wallace had even written to apologise to Mr Rabindranath.
Sheriff Grant McCulloch ordered Wallace to be admonished, and pay the compensation, telling Wallace that the case was tragic for him and his family but catastrophic for the victim. He added that it illustrated the dangers of playing with a naked flame. At the same time, the Judge accepted that Wallace had not intended to harm the other man and that it had been a terrible accident.
His remorse at the incident and subsequent level of maturity had shown the Judge that he was unlikely to re-offend, so he escaped a custodial sentence.
