Trio admit hospital fire-raising

The fire at the old hospital was put out after 12 hours (Pic by Jimmy Addison)

Three teenagers from Inverness who started a fire in the city's former psychiatric hospital caused £5m worth of damage, a court has been told.

Noel Sutherland and Stephen Coffey, both 19, and Billy Hunter, 18, admitted setting fire to insulation material and wood at Craig Dunain, last September.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard it took 45 firefighters 12 hours to put out the blaze at the Victorian building.

Sentence was deferred for reports and the trio were released on bail.

The B-listed building, in the Leachkin area of the city, was in the early stages of being renovated into luxury flats when it was set alight on 15 September 2007.