I will burn your old gaff to the ground

Arsonist said salon blaze had kept him 'busy during lockdown'

- DAVID MEIKLE

who A FIRESTARTER torched a beauty salon and a house is behind bars.

Lewis Connor, 27, set fire to a property near Falkirk which had been seized by prosecutors.

Connor was snared after French authorities cracked the Encrochat communication system which criminals used to hide illicit activities.

Investigations revealed his Encrochat tag, LivingSilver, had been in regular contact with a user known as BigTasty in May 2020.

In one message, LivingSilver told BigTasty: "I will burn your old gaff to the ground", and received a reply stating: "Blow house to f**k.

LivingSilver later replied: "Burnt to f**k, place just took, will send someone to take a pic if you want but place was like Blackpool illuminations when I left. A further message from LivingSilver stated: "Feel like the IRA back in the day, keeping me busy during lockdown, giving me something to do."