A JOHNSTONE man is being prosecuted for allegedly trying to encourage someone to set fire to his sister’s home.

Jordan Cook, of Sheldrake Place, is said to have tried to “instigate and incite” John Bates to use accelerant he had provided to set fire to the home of his sister, Jemma Cook.

Prosecutors claim he tried to torch the flat in Dimity Street, Johnstone, on August 16 this year, while on bail from another case heard at Paisley Sheriff Court.

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And 27-year-old Cook is also accused of wilfully setting a fire in the same block on the same date by pouring “a quantity of accelerant and flammable material” through the letterbox of a flat, causing the fire to take effect on the inside of the door and placing the lives of the unnamed individuals inside at risk.

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The case against Cook called in public for the first time at Paisley Sheriff Court last week.

After defence solicitor advocate Alastair Gray told Sheriff Frances McCartney that Cook was being assessed by medical professionals to make sure that he understood the charges against him and was able to instruct a solicitor, she continued the case until next month for a further pre-trial hearing to take place.