Jeanette Stevenson, instructed by the CPS East Midlands, secures the conviction of a man accused of setting fire to his flat. The jury took just 31 minutes to convict the defendant who was accused of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered life.
The defendant was accused of setting fire to his flat on the 21st June 2021. During the trial the jury heard how passers by noticed the fire when they saw smoke bellowing out of the living room window of his flat. The jury heard evidence from a fire expert who concluded that the two seats of fire, one in the living room and one in the bedroom was started deliberately using a naked flame. The fire was so intense in the living room that the windows failed and the room and it’s contents were completely destroyed. Thanks to the quick reactions of members of the public, other occupants of the block of flats were alerted to the fire and managed to escape unhurt. Had the fire fighters not been called and tackled the blaze so quickly, the fire would have quickly spread to neighbouring flats.
The defendant denied setting the fire and, in his evidence to the court, said that an unknown person must have broken into his flat to set the fire.
The jury disregarded the defendant’s account and found him Guilty. The defendant will be sentenced on the 3rd February 2022 with the assistance of a psychological report to assess the defendant’s mental health and dangerousness.