Dundee killer set fire to home to 'burn old life'

A convicted killer who put her neighbours' lives in danger by setting fire to her home has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard Victoria Kydd set fire to the flat in a bid to "burn her old life".

She admitted culpably and recklessly endangering lives at her former home in Newburgh, Fife, on 5 January 2021.

Kydd, 43, of Dundee, was previously jailed for stabbing a man to death when he refused to have sex with her.

She was convicted of culpable homicide in December 2006.

In the latest case, fiscal depute Gavin Burton told the court a friend visited her at home on 5 January last year.

"He saw her setting light to papers using the gas hob", he said. "He asked what she was doing, and she said she was burning her old life. She became angry and told him to leave. He left."

Stuart and Elaine Ingram were walking past the property when they heard a smoke alarm and looked up to see flames belching out of one of the windows.

"Mr Ingram went inside with another unknown male and went to the kitchen which was full of smoke. They saw pots full of clothes and paper on top of the hob," Mr Burton said.

They put the fire out and searched the flat but could not find anyone. They heard smashing glass and discovered Kydd breaking windows and causing shards of glass to fall into the street.

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Firefighters arrived and discovered the burnt clothing in the sink. Kydd refused to come out of her bedroom but asked one of the firefighters for a glass of water.

Moments later he heard the fire alarm sounding again and went back upstairs to discover Kydd standing over the cooker, with a new batch of smouldering blankets.

Kydd then threw a lit cigarette at a police officer as he approached to arrest her and he had to stamp it out after it landed on a pile of clothing on the floor and caught fire.

The court was told that Kydd - who continued to be abusive at Dundee police HQ - had caused around £2,000 worth of damage to the rented flat she had been living in for two years.

Solicitor Catriona Clark, defending, said: "She has had issues with alcohol in the past. On release from her previous sentence she was in employment for eight years and was settled."

Kydd admitted attacking PC Callum Bawden by throwing a lit cigarette at him, lunging towards him and striking him on the body, and assaulting PC Kirstie Haddow by kicking her on the body repeatedly.

In 2006, the High Court in Edinburgh heard that Kydd stabbed 32-year-old John Lofthouse to death when he refused to have sex with her.

The court was told she wore stockings and lingerie to seduce him after a row, but flew into a rage when he spurned her advances.

Kydd - who claimed her lover had walked onto the blade - stabbed him through the heart hours after they had decided to move in together in Dundee.

She was originally charged with murder but was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.