Gardener torched neighbour's door in row over grass cutting bill

A gardener torched his neighbour’s front door after she failed to stump up for cutting her grass.

Anthony Petrucci, 30, sparked the blaze at the home of Janette Gray in Glasgow’s Dalmarnock on September 26, 2020.

Ms Gray was inside the property at the time with a 15-year-old boy and others.

On Thursday, Petrucci pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to wilful fire raising.

He also admitted having an axe in a public place without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.

The court heard Petrucci contacted Ms Gray around 11.30pm on the night of the incident.

Prosecutor Amy Hunter said: “He requested money owed to him for the cutting of her lawn at her property.”

Ms Gray told Petrucci that she was at a friend’s house and was unable to pay.

Petrucci then stormed up to Ms Gray’s door in the early hours.

After leaving, there was a later a confrontation between Petrucci and a relative of the woman.

Petrucci was in possession of an axe.

Ms Hunter added: “Less than ten minutes later, Petrucci re-attended Ms Gray’s home in possession of a petrol can containing an accelerant. He also had an axe.

“He poured it on the front door and set the house alight while all the witnesses were inside.”

A neighbour luckily came to Ms Gray’s aid and the blaze was fortunately put out.

Waqqas Ashraf, defending, told the court Petrucci had repeatedly tried to chase up the debt.

The lawyer added: “She kept advising him that she would pay and that did not happen.

“He contacted her for payment and she said she would pay if she was given a run to the bank.

“That is what he did, but instead she didn’t pay and instead came out with items from a shop.

“Mr Petrucci fully recognises he completely lost all sense of how to behave.”

Sheriff Tom Hughes jailed Petrucci for a total of 27 months.

He told the dad-of-one: “It beggars belief that, even if you were subject to the actions of what we heard, the appropriate way to deal with it is to go to the police.

“What happened was you took the ludicrous decision to arm yourself with an axe, go to the property and set fire to the door.

“This could have had catastrophic consequences.”