Resident bought petrol and set fire to Telford care home

Ashley Cooper, aged 51, at first lied to staff and police about doing anything wrong before being overheard telling a relative exactly what happened at Wrekin Villas, in Telford, on March 27 last year, a court heard.

The supported living unit was evacuated of all five residents along with staff, while Wrekin Road, in Wellington, was closed to traffic for about an hour while the fire service tackled the blaze at the site operated by Eden Futures.

Mr Philip Beardmore, prosecuting barrister, said: “At about 1pm on March 27, 2016, this defendant attended a petrol station, in Holyhead Road, Wellington, where he purchased a petrol can, £5 worth of petrol and some matches.

"Around half an hour later he started a fire in that care home where he himself had been resident for about two years.

"There were four other residents in there including a man who the defendant previously had an altercation with, claiming this man was sleeping in the day and staying awake at night and was therefore causing some disturbance.

“The man’s bedroom was directly above the lounge where the fire was. At the time of the fire he was asleep.

“Care worker Nadia Dexter noticed the smoke from the kitchen and she describes that she saw the defendant standing by the door ‘smiling’.

"She went to call the other residents, one of whom couldn’t get to because of the smoke. She asked the defendant what happened but he replied that he didn’t know. When the police officer came he told him that the cooker had exploded, but the officer seized the box of matches from him.”

Mr Beardmore said Cooper poured the petrol over the sofas and set them alight which resulted in extensive damage to the living room, the kitchen and ceiling joists which was estimated to cost in excess of £30,000 to repair.

The specialist unit for adults with mental health issues was shut for two months for the work to be carried out and the residents rehoused, one of them to Powys.

He said when Cooper was arrested he was overheard admitting starting the fire to his brother on the phone.

Giving evidence on oath consultant psychiatrist Jayanth Srinivas, of South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said Cooper had a 32-year history of mental health problems and that he suffered from a significant cognitive deficit due to a psycho-effective disorder that was ‘treatment resistant’.

“Previous attempts at rehabilitation have been fraught with challenges due to his lack of engagement. Also his records show evidence of previous episodes of violence in hospital situations involving hospital staff and property. There have also been threats of violence in the community,” Dr Srinivas said.

Cooper admitted an offence of arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered at an earlier hearing.

Judge Michael Jackson detained Cooper under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act which means he can only be released in the community after a tribunal review.

A charge of arson with intent to endanger life was allowed to lie on file.