Dad set fire to Shropshire home with children inside
Three children frantically tackled a blaze at their home which their father had started, a court heard.
The father, who had been drinking all day, stayed in bed while one of the children used a bucket of water to put out the flames – that had reached a height of two-foot during the fire in an upstairs bedroom.
Mr Richard Orme, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant used a cigarette lighter to set curtains on fire at the house in north Shropshire on April 2.
“The defendant found it increasingly difficult to cope with bringing up the children. Over the weekend one of the children was visiting and during the course of that weekend she describes how the defendant had been drinking excessively which was becoming common practice. He had been drinking lager, cider and rum.”
Mr Orme said after lunch he shouted at the children because he thought they had hidden his last can of cider. “This wasn’t the case on this occasion, but they had hidden his drinks previously because of his behaviour when he drank.
“He returned to his bedroom and some time later one of his children who had been in her room upstairs ran hysterically downstairs informing another child that their dad had set fire to the curtains in the bedroom. One of them grabbed a bucket of water, took it upstairs and threw the water over the flames that were two-foot high. This was done a number of times.
“The smoke alarm had been triggered. The defendant simply lay on his bed while all this was going on.” Mr Orme said.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that the defendant has been on remand since the incident and the children were in foster care. The 43-year-old admitted one count of arson with intent or reckless as to whether life would be endangered at a property at a previous hearing.
Mr Danny Smith, mitigating, told the video link hearing that the defendant’s wife had left the family home. “After that he lost his mother and his brother and he found himself dealing with grief. He should have sought help and not turned to drink. He is also diabetic and that coupled with the drinking made him irritable,” he added.
For the offence he was jailed for two years suspended for two years with a requirement that he attend alcohol treatment and rehabilitation for 30 days. Judge Jim Tindall told him: “You terrified those children. You have got a big job to do to repair that. Don’t think you can come out of prison and claim back your children. You need to take things at their pace and rebuild their trust.”
There was not an order for costs or compensation in lieu of time already spent in custody. He will now be released from prison.
