Shropshire Star

Firestarter is jailed for 18 months

A man who used petrol and paper to start a series of fires in the area near his home has been jailed for 18 months.

Published
Judge Robin Onions

Geoffrey Evans, 62, was said to have been aware of gas pipes in Old Mill Lane, Oldbury, Bridgnorth, and had told police that he had intended to take his own life.

An alert neighbour used buckets of water to put out some of the fires, but one spread to a garage which was gutted and will cost an estimated £7,000 to rebuild.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court Evans appeared for sentence having admitted a single charge of arson at an earlier hearing.

Judge Robin Onions said that he had read social and psychiatric reports and had "a degree of sympathy" with the defendant in what was a very sad case.

He said Evans was of good character and had always worked until made redundant and was left in difficult position after his mother died last year.

Judge Onions said Evans had clearly been unhappy and depressed having lost both of his parents.

"You had an isolated, solitary and lonely life and had no friends or social connections," he said.

The reports revealed Evans had been bullied at school and work and lived with his parents and had not been able to sustain any meaningful relationship and that support was denied to him.

"However, what you did was seriously wrong, whatever the unhappiness you had with your neighbours," he added.

Judge Onions said it was not clear why, having wanted to take his own life, Evans had set the fires away from his own cottage in Old Mill Lane.

The court heard that the incidents happened on October 29 last year around 4.30pm when a neighbour spotted the flames from various sites in the lane.

Mr Robert Edwards, prosecuting, sad that Yvonne Heard got a bucket of water and could see at least six fires in the hedges and one in a garden of another cottage.

There was a strong smell of petrol and she could see Evans tending the fires by putting on more paper on them. When she spoke to Evans he did not respond and did not look at her before the fire service arrived to tackle the burning garage.

Neighbour Sandra Hickson, who had known Evans and his parents for 50 years, said she had been concerned about his mental state.

There had been a change in his behaviour and he was quiet, bur easily agitated and and he had accused her of stealing plants from his garden.

Evans had tried to hide because he was "frightened" when police arrived and later said he had not intended the fires to get out of control.

Mr Stephen Scully, for Evans, said it was a "very sad case" and his client had lived with his parents, who had both died, and he had been made redundant.

He said Evans was single and had never had a meaningful relationship with a woman and had been suffering from depression.

"There was no social circle, no family or friends and he did not get on well with his neighbours and there were disagreements," he said.

Mr Scully said Evans would not be able to return to his address and his home would have to sell his house and make a fresh start in another area of the country when he was released.

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