MSP appears in court on charges of fire-raising at Edinburgh hotel

LORD Watson of Invergowrie, the former government minister, appeared in court yesterday charged with two counts of fire-raising at a luxury Edinburgh hotel.

The Labour peer and former Scottish Executive minister for tourism, culture and sport has been accused of setting fire to curtains in Prestonfield House Hotel after a political awards ceremony in the early hours of 12 November.

Lord Watson, 55, who is the Labour MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, refused to talk to reporters as he arrived at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday morning with his wife, Claire, 30, and a legal representative.

He made no plea when he appeared in private before the sheriff, Nigel Morrison, QC, but has categorically denied any wrongdoing.

The fire at James Thomson’s Prestonfield House Hotel started shortly after 2am, when curtains went up in flames. The alleged incident was captured by the hotel’s CCTV cameras, apparently showing a man crouching next to curtains shortly before they started to burn.

The Labour Party moved immediately to suspend Lord Watson pending the outcome of the legal process. He can continue sitting in the House of Lords and as an MSP in the Scottish Parliament, but he will not be under the Labour Party whip.

No other details were given of the charges yesterday.

Such charges can lead to a prison sentence of between six months and life depending on the seriousness of the offence, although if little damage is done and no lives are lost the penalty can be as little as 18 months’ probation.

A spokesman for the Crown Office, responsible for prosecutions in Scotland, said: "Mike Goodall Watson, 55 years, appeared on petition on two charges of wilful fire-raising at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

"He made no plea or declaration and was committed for further examination and released on bail."

Lord Watson arrived yesterday by taxi at 11:50am at Edinburgh Sheriff Court with his wife and his lawyer, Daniel Scullion. He left the court 25 minutes later, ignoring questions from reporters.

Wearing a white shirt and a red tie, the Labour peer was grim-faced on his arrival but left talking animatedly to his lawyer.

He had been released pending further investigation.

Lord Watson, formerly the Labour MP for Glasgow Central, left Westminster politics when his constituency disappeared as part of boundary changes.

He then lost a bitter candidate selection contest with Mohammad Sarwar for the Glasgow Govan seat before the 1997 general election.

He was made a life peer as Lord Watson of Invergowrie shortly afterwards, but returned to elected representation in 1999 when he became the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart.