Lunes, Marso 28, 2011

Arsonist who risked lives of three people sent to prison

An arsonist who endangered the lives of three people when a fire he started spread to a house has been jailed for six years.

Luke Simon Herald started another blaze outside a village pub on the same night.

The 23-year-old went on the arson spree after drinking and taking drugs following a row with his ex-girlfriend.

He pleaded guilty to arson, recklessly endangering lives, at a house in Devitt Way, Broughton Astley, where a kitchen was fire-damaged and the upstairs smoke-damaged.

He used a bottle of petrol to set fire to a van, which spread to a car parked next to the affected property.

Three occupants of the house escaped unhurt after a neighbour spotted the fire and alerted them.

Herald also admitted arson, recklessly endangering lives, at the Dunton Bassett Arms, in the village, on October 31 last year.

Herald, formerly of Bushnell Close, Broughton Astley, further admitted taking an MG ZS car without consent and driving it when disqualified, in Devitt Way, on the same night. He was banned from driving for five years.

Sentencing at Leicester Crown Court, Recorder Lynn Tayton QC said: "You had an argument with your ex-girlfriend and became upset in the early hours of the morning.

"You went to the home of a friend, with whom you were staying, and you took drink and drugs and brooded and became very angry.

"You then decided to take revenge on two men who you thought were interfering with your relationship.

"You took the keys of a car of someone staying at the house, without their consent.

"You then took two pop bottles to a petrol station and filled them up.

"At the Dunton Bassett Arms, you put a rag in one of the bottles and set a fire under one of the windows in front of the pub, which was occupied.

"You drove to a private address, in Devitt Way, where another man lived and where three people were staying in the house that night.

"Two vehicles were parked outside very close to the side of the house.

"Using the other pop bottle, you lit it and put it under the van which spread to a car and the house.

"The fire quickly took hold.

"These were two planned arson attacks, carried out in revenge, aimed at individuals."

Herald, who regretted his offending, voluntarily gave himself up to the police and confessed.

James House, in mitigation, said at the age of 11, Herald suffered a devastating loss when several members of his family, including his younger brother, all died in an accident.

He said the defendant was suffering from depression at the time and said: "The fact he was in drink and under the influence of drugs doesn't help him at all.

"He recognises these are very grave matters."



Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503348/s/13a42f6a/l/0L0Sthisisleicestershire0O0Cnews0CArsonist0Erisked0Elives0Epeople0Esent0Eprison0Carticle0E33770A0A90Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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