A MAN who made five hoax calls to firefighters then set his carpet alight to bring them out.

Allan Scott pleaded guilty to making multiple calls to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and to wilful fire-raising when he appeared from custody at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on November 21.

The court was told the 44-year-old made three 999 calls over 45 minutes between 11.30pm on January 25, 2023, and 12.15am the next day.

A fire controller took the three calls from a mobile number later identified as Scott's.

Each call required firefighters to attend his ground-floor flat at Gaitskell Avenue, Alexandria.

And each time the fire service attended, they found no fire. They concluded the calls were malicious, said fiscal depute Maria Murdoch.

A few days later, at 11.05pm on February 3, a watch commander with the fire service at Johnstone was informed of a 999 call from a landline. It was found to be a phone box in Argyll Street, Alexandria, which is a few hundred metres from Scott's home.

Fire appliances were dispatched and again there was no fire.

At 12.20am on February 4, there was another call, this time from another mobile number.

Scott had stopped someone on the street and asked to use their phone. He claimed his cousin had collapsed within his home and that the flat was on fire.

Scott's voice was recognised by control room staff and he was asked if it was a hoax call.

Again the fire service attended the property and again there was no fire.

But at 4.50am that morning, there was another call - this time with fire alarms going off in the background.

When firefighters arrived, they could see there was a fire in the property.

Scott refused entry and the fire and rescue service forced entry and put the blaze out on the carpet in the front hall.

There was a strong smell of accelerant.

Police were called and arrested Scott at about 6am and he was taken to Clydebank police office.

The court was told there was no mention of smoke or damage to the property.

Scott pleaded guilty to giving false alarms and causing the fire service to attend on January 25 and 26.

He admitted the same charge for February 3 and 4, and to culpably and recklessly setting fire to a carpet where it took effect and destroyed it on February 4. He was on bail at the time.

His not-guilty plea to resisting arrest and struggling violently with police was accepted by prosecutors.

Defence solicitor Judith Reid said there were comments within a report about her client's vulnerability.

"He finds things best within a highly structured environment such as prison," she said.

"Prison cannot hold him indefinitely.

"A prison sentence is inevitable [in this case] - that's accepted. There's a history of this form of offending."

She said a further report by social workers might determine what could be put in place after his eventual release.

"He has not been particularly welcoming of assistance," she added.

Sheriff Euan Cameron called for reports to be prepared, particularly considering a supervised release order.

Sentence was deferred to December 18.