| Ricci Foreman (19) will be honoured by the Tayside Fire and Rescue Service for the part he played in trying to save the life of murder victim Jessica McCagh, who was doused in petrol and set alight by her then boyfriend Stewart Blackburn last April.
Chief Fire Officer Stephen Hunter will present an award from the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire.
Ricci, who lived above the Arbroath flat shared by Jessica and her killer, described in court how he heard two explosions and the sound of breaking glass and rose from bed to find out what was happening.
In his dramatic account to the jury at the High Court in Livingston, he told how he heard Jessica screaming as he kicked in the jammed front door and Blackburn ran out with his trousers on fire shouting “Jessica’s dead”.
He described making his way towards the blazing bedroom where he was confronted by Jessica, in flames from head to toe and shouting “Help me Ricci, help me” before collapsing at his feet.
Ricci repeatedly filled a fish tank with water and emptied it over Jessica before trying to drag her out of the flat when the flames kept reigniting.
He told how he wrenched open the door — the handle of which was red hot — before pulling Jessica outside with the help of a police officer.
Ricci sustained burns to his hands, arms and feet in his desperate bid to rescue his friend and, after being almost overcome by the effects of smoke, had to be removed from the building by firefighters.
Although his heroic efforts were ultimately in vain, Jessica’s father Gary McCagh said after the trial, “That guy should be put in for a medal or a certificate or something.”
Blackburn was sentenced to life for a crime that shocked the country and will serve a minimum of 21 years behind bars. |
