Man spared jail after dog dies in fire

Fraser Smith set a cap full of brake cleaning fluid alight in his kitchen “to see if it was flammable” and ended up burning his house down during the incident on December 28, 2014.

As the blaze spread throughout the property, Smith managed to grab his girlfriend’s puppy, Coco, and make his way outside.

But once outside, the terrified animal soon bolted from his arms and back into the burning flat in Stoneyhill Place, Musselburgh. It is believed that Smith tried to rescue the animal from the fire but was beaten back by the flames.

The first floor flat was gutted and the dog perished in the blazeSmith previously pleaded guilty to culpably and recklessly setting fire to brake fluid causing the death of a dog at Stoneyhill Place, Musselburgh, when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

And yesterday the 28-year-old fire-raiser escaped a prison term and was instead ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community.