Man Sentenced For Murdering Brother In New Year's Day House Fire

Man Sentenced For Murdering Brother In New Year's Day House Fire

A man is to be sentenced for the murder of his brother and attempted murder of his brother's girlfriend by setting fire to them as they slept on New Year's Day.

Blair Logan poured petrol on his younger brother Cameron, 23, and the bed he was sharing with Rebecca Williams at their family home in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire.

Ms Williams was rescued from the fire and treated in hospital, while Logan's parents were treated for smoke inhalation.

Logan, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder last month and will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.

The two brothers were said to have a ''hostile'' relationship and Logan told police they had not spoken since the death of their grandmother in 2013.

The accused admitted pouring petrol ''with the intention of maiming or crippling'' Cameron but claimed he did not mean to kill him.

The attack was said to be in retaliation for a recent incident at the house when his brother had punched him.

A computer seized from Logan's bedroom showed that from October 2016, he had carried out internet searches on burns victims.

The 27-year-old, who was a Tesco store assistant, admitted killing his brother during a police interview on January 13.

He told officers: ''It was not my intent to kill him but I did do it.''

In court last month, Logan also admitted endangering the lives of his parents David and Catherine in the blaze, in which the family dog Gomez was also killed.

On the night of the fire, Cameron and Rebecca had returned to the family home after a new year party with friends nearby.

An inflatable mattress had been set up for them in the living room and they went to sleep around 4am.

Just over three hours later, Mrs Logan was woken by the dog whining and went downstairs, where she saw a figure in dark clothing standing inside the living room holding something on fire.

He threw it on the bed then ran out, with Mrs Logan not knowing who it was at the time.

Unable to open the living room door, she ran out of the house to ask neighbours for help, shouting to her husband to warn him.

Ms Williams managed to roll on to the floor and crawl out of the room into the kitchen. She was not able to open the back door, and so put her head in the fridge to protect herself from the fire.

Mr Logan senior tried to get into the living room but was beaten back by the intensity of the smoke and flames.

He managed to get out of the house, before he and a neighbour rescued Ms Williams from the kitchen.

She suffered burns to her arms and face and damage to her throat, vocal cords and lungs.

Ms Williams has undergone surgery four times and may not be able to return to work as a broadcast journalist due to the damage caused.

Logan faces a mandatory life sentence for murder, with judge Lady Scott to determine how long he will serve in prison before he can apply for parole.

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