There were emotional scenes at Inverness Sheriff Court as former janitor David Russell's wife broke down in tears when Sheriff Ian Abercrombie passed sentence this week.

Russell (27), of St Valery Avenue, Dalneigh, had admitted causing the damage to Inverness High School on October 8 last year by setting fire to cardboard boxes which had been stored on the stage.

On the night of the fire, the court had heard the Inverness and Nairn schools Wind Band had been rehearsing on stage until 9pm and it was estimated that the fire was started between 9.30pm and 9.45pm.

Fiscal Ron Phillips said a football team were using a games hall when they became aware of Russell coming in from the hall and noticed a strong smell of smoke from him. He told the footballers at the time that he was burning some cardboard boxes. He left the hall but at about 9.52pm that evening, Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service received a call from Russell to say the assembly hall was on fire.

Six fire tenders attended the blaze and over 60 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze and the subsequent investigation.

The court heard Russell was not an immediate suspect but fire officers noticed on the night he was excited and, six weeks later when all the evidence was collated, suspicion fell on the former janitor.

Russell was expected to be sentenced last month, but Sheriff Abercrombie continued the case until this week because of conflicting opinions contained in reports about the risk of him reoffending.

A social worker concluded that there was a medium risk but a psychologist said the risk was low.

But the court heard that a psychologist cleared the matter up and said that standard methods used to test a person's risk of reoffending used in a social work enquiry report were not suitable in Russell's case because he was a first offender and had no previous convictions.

Sheriff Abercrombie told Russell: "I have taken into account the following factors – you are a young man with two step-children and a very young child with an illness that is very much regrettable; you are first offender and have accepted responsibility in an interview with the police; you have also telephoned the headmaster and apologised for what you have done.

David Russell was sentenced to two years in prison after starting a fire which caused serious damage to Inverness High School's assembly hall

"On the other hand, I have to take into account that this is a very serious crime. It was a crime committed whilst you were employed by the school as an assistant janitor. It is a breach of trust at the very least."

The sheriff said there had been £345,000 worth of damage caused by the fire, and added that the amount excluded the damage done to the musical instruments, which amounted to a further £29,000.

"Notwithstanding that the school pantomime had to be transferred to another location and the school was closed for two days," he said, "I also have to consider the potential risk to firefighters. In total, just over 60 fire-fighters attended the blaze."

Sheriff Abercrombie said the psychologist's report was very helpful to him.

"A series of stresses occurred in your life between 2006 and 2008," he told Russell.

"There were serious events in both your private and working life. It cumulated in two events, first a disclosure to you by your father that he had been intentionally kept away from you when you were young and also the death of your grandmother who was your primary carer."

The sheriff added: "It's accepted that your personality can be described as over-controlled and is one that under extreme stress can explode in an over-aggressive act and that carries with it an element of depersonalisation which led to partial amnesia. I also accept that the offence was impulsive and, at the same time, you were not in complete control of yourself."

Sheriff Abercrombie said he hoped Russell would look at the sentence as a punishment for his crime.

After the case, Northern Constabulary acting detective inspector Ian Anderson said police welcomed the sentence handed out to Russell.

"This was an utterly reckless act which could have had far more serious consequences," he said. "We would like to thank the public for their continued support in relation to the reporting of fireraising incidents in Inverness. It is an issue we treat extremely seriously."

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