Lewis Connor, 27, was snared by French authorities after they cracked the Encrochat communication system. Get the latest Scottish crime and courts news sent straight to your inbox with our daily Criminal Record newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest Scottish crime and courts news sent straight to your inbox with our daily Criminal Record newsletter We have more newsletters A firestarter who torched a beauty salon and a house has been jailed for three years. 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 their 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." Another message revealed BigTasty, who has not been named for legal reasons, wanted CeCe's salon in Hamilton , Lanarkshire, targeted and instructed Connor to put the owner under surveillance.
The salon was gutted by a blaze .