A former employee of an exclusive Scottish country hotel, who set fire to the premises while there were guests inside, has been jailed for 27 months.

Kenneth Henderson, 22, from Glenrothes, admitted the arson attack on the Balbirnie House Hotel, Markinch when he appeared before Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

The court was told that Henderson was a former employee who bore a grudge after he had been dismissed.

Evidence was given that Henderson started the fire in the hotel in December last year even though he knew there were a large number of guests inside attending a function. 

The fire wrecked one room and damaged several others, with repair estimates running into thousands of pounds. 

Sheriff William Holligan told Henderson he had no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.

Balbirnie House Hotel is an exclusive Georgian country hotel 30 miles from Edinburgh.

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By Andrew Smith

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