A 23-year-old man has escaped jail after setting fire to a North-east farm causing £300,000 worth of damage.

Ryan Milne, of Forgue, Huntly, pled guilty to wilful fire-raising avoided jail and was told by Aberdeen Sheriff Court to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for two years with a six-month curfew.

The fire at Waulkmill Farm not only caused £300,000 of damages, but also resulted in 27 cows being culled as their unborn calves had died and would have rotted inside them. Arsonist Milne set fire to the farm after he wrongfully believe an auctioneer who lived on the farm had got him chucked out of a Thainstone evening event on November 26, 2019.

Read more: Cost of theft in rural Scotland falls

The sentencing was met with widespread anger in the North-east farming community who felt that a stronger punishment should have applied. However, Sheriff Philip Mann followed guidelines on sentencing young offenders when issuing the punishment and told Milne: “You are regarded as not having reached full maturity.”