In 2026, Craig Higgs, a 37-year-old domestic abuser, was jailed for seven years after deliberately setting fire to a residential building, trapping his ex-partner and a five-year-old child inside.
Craig Higgs targeted a property at Bellfield Court in Musselburgh, East Lothian, on 20 April 2022. The court heard that Higgs set fire to a barbecue, a bag of coals, and other materials in the communal stairwell before fleeing the scene. The resulting fire filled the building with dense smoke, trapping his former partner, a five-year-old child, and several other residents inside. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews used specialised tools to force entry and rescue the occupants. Police arrested Higgs hours later in possession of a lighter, with CCTV footage placing him at the scene moments before the fire started.
At the High Court in Edinburgh, Higgs was convicted of wilful fire-raising, endangering life, and having also pleaded guilty to two counts of threatening or abusive behaviour. Procurator Fiscal Sineidin Corrins condemned the act as a calculated and reckless domestic attack that put numerous lives at risk. On 28 July 2026, the judge sentenced Higgs to seven years in prison.
In addition to his seven-year custodial sentence, Higgs was made subject to an indefinite non-harassment order.
This order strictly prohibits him from contacting or attempting to contact his former partner or the child, ensuring long-term legal protections and statutory public safety measures upon his eventual release.
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