Manager faces jail for deliberately starting fire at rural Scots hotel that saw guests evacuated

A Killin hotel manager was this week facing jail after starting a fire in a cycle storage area at his own workplace.

Nearly 50 people – eight members of staff and 40 guests, including three children – had to be evacuated in the middle of the night as the blaze took hold at the Killin Hotel, by Loch Tay.

Vimal Verma, 42, was seen “acting weirdly” after being asked to leave a birthday gathering, being held after work in the staff accommodation at the hotel, because of his behaviour.

A court heard Verma had only recently been hired on a trial basis as live-in assistant operations manager at the hotel.

Prosecutor James Moncrieff said the member of staff whose birthday it was had cleaned and closed the bar at 11.30pm on April 21 last year and had invited fellow staff members, including Verma, up to her room for a few drinks.

Mr Moncrieff said that as the party continued, Verma’s behaviour “began to make the others feel uncomfortable”.

He said: “It was clear he was quite drunk and he was asked to leave.”

At 2.56am the following morning Verma was recorded on CCTV leaving his room, entering the front vestibule of the hotel, and walking straight across to the cycle storage area in the vestibule, where bikes and equipment were located.

Mr Moncrieff said: “Shortly afterwards a bright flickering light appeared while he was still in the bike storage area.

“An item was seen being placed on top of the bicycles and a shadow could be seen moving around as the light intensified.”

Soon afterwards, Virma was recorded on CCTV “calmly” watching what was happening, with the bike storage area now “well ablaze”.

Meanwhile, the staff member who had been giving the party checked the hotel CCTV on an app, and saw smoke coming from the reception area.

Other members of staff rushed to the scene and found Virma “looking at the fire while swinging his arms back and forth”.

Mr Moncrieff said: “The accused appeared startled by the arrival of the other members of staff. They asked him what he was doing and he replied, ‘nothing’.”

The hotel fire alarms activated and the fire cut the hotel’s electrical supply.

Guests, who had been asleep at the time the blaze started, were evacuated, the emergency services were called, and staff began to fight the blaze with fire extinguishers.

Virma was described as “still acting weird, and asking the guests what had happened”.

Police arrived and Virma was arrested.

Firemen said wicker chairs stacked against the wall of the storage area had been deliberately set alight.

Mr Moncrieff said: “The total value of the property destroyed was £2,600 but the fire had the potential to endanger the lives of the hotel occupants if it had spread unchecked.”

At Falkirk Sheriff Court on Wednesday. Verma, now of Sheffield, pleaded guilty to wilful fireraising, setting fire to a quantity of wicker chairs, damaging the chairs and two bikes, together with luggage attached to the bikes, and causing flames and smoke to fill a conservatory and the reception area at the hotel and the hotel to be evacuated, all putting people in danger.

Solicitor Ken Dalling, defending, said Virma was “in no doubt as to the seriousness of his conduct”.

Sheriff Craig Harris deferred sentence until October 17 for reports.

He warned: “This is a very serious offence indeed. The court will decide on the next occasion what sentence to pass, and that includes, of course, the option of a custodial sentence.”

By Stirling Observer