Scots restaurant San Vincenzo up for auction after series of fires at premises

29.08.2022 - 21:01 / dailyrecord.co.uk

A Scots restaurant forced out of business after a series of alleged fire attacks will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

San Vincenzo in Bothwell will be auctioned on September 12, with the minimum opening bid set at £150,000.

The sale comes after a series of incidents at the restaurant eventually led the owner Vincent Marini to shut his doors in October 2019. He previously claimed there had been a "targeted campaign" and a "sustained effort" to drive him out of business.

On June 30, 2022, emergency services descended on the former upmarket venue for the fifth time in recent years after a car was found engulfed in flames outside. The blaze caused minor damage after spreading to the exterior of the building.

On March 1, 2022, police and the fire service were called just before midnight amid reports of a blaze.

Shortly before the Italian eatery was forced to close in 2019, a red Vauxhall Corsa was driven through a large window of the building before being set on fire. Massive 50ft flames leapt from the property as horrified locals watched on.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused as the devastating blow came months after a separate incident in September 2019, when another vehicle was torched outside the property.

In June of that year a pick-up truck was captured on CCTV as it smashed through a window straight into the restaurant before speeding off.

In March 2020, months after Vincent Marini claimed there was a "sustained effort" to drive him out of business he posted on Facebook, “Sadly, they won” before putting the restaurant on the market. In 2021 he also claimed a London-based hitman was hired to kill him.

The business was initially listed for £600,000 before the price was knocked down. Years after failing to