Telford mother set fire to house with daughter, 11, inside - because she wanted new home

Horrified neighbours frantically phoned and shouted for Sarah Rogers when they saw her house go up in flames, with windows smashing from the heat, guttering melting and smoke billowing into the sky.

Little did they know Rogers, aged 39, started the blaze herself. She wanted a move from her housing association home in Stonedale, Sutton Hill, Telford, and went to extreme lengths on October 18, 2021.

Rogers, her daughter who was asleep upstairs, and her 14-year-old son who slept in a caravan at the property, all escaped unharmed and nobody else was hurt. Emergency crews attended, with firefighters put out the blaze and police arrived to investigate.

Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, told Shrewsbury Crown Court that when police spoke to her at the scene, Rogers told them the cause of the fire must have been the boiler. However, a fire investigation officer ruled that out and and said the boiler was in full working order. The investigator came to the concluded that the fire, which started in the garage, must have been set deliberately, and Rogers was arrested.

CCTV was taken from one of Rogers’s neighbours showing her entering the garage in the early hours of the morning, before coming back out with smoke appearing. Mr Beardwell said her actions put her family, neighbours and emergency workers in danger.

Rogers, of Stonedale, Sutton Hill, Telford, pleaded guilty to one count of arson being reckless to endanger life. She has three previous convictions for unrelated matters. Paul Smith, mitigating, said it was “a dreadfully sad case” and that Rogers is a mother with “huge responsibility” in a family with complex needs.

“She’s a woman with some mental health difficulties,” he added. “She is remorseful and she has taken every step she can to deal with her own difficulties and to fulfil her responsibility to her family.”

Recorder Jonathan Taylor told Rogers: “You put yourself and your own children in danger. Because of the seriousness of this offence, I’m afraid it passes the custody threshold. I have to do my duty to the public, including those you put at risk.”

He jailed her for three years. She would have served half of her sentence in custody but, due to qualifying curfew days she has served, Rogers is likely to be released from prison in about 12 months.

“This was a very dangerous thing to do,” added Recorder Taylor. “You behaved in a very foolish and dangerous manner. I hope this will serve as a salutary lesson to you.”