An man who set his flat a blaze after being served with an eviction notice, laughed when he was told by police that he had almost trapped his upstairs neighbour and her two children in the fire, a UK court was told today.
Jake Walters (22) is believed to have started the fire in order to carry out a revenge attack after he was told he would have to leave his home in Augustine Road, Gravesend, England in May last year for excessive noise and anti-social behaviour, Kent Police said.
Mr Walters was sentenced to 30 months in jail for the offence at Maidstone Crown Court today,Mr Walters had pleaded guilty to charges of arson with intent and being reckless as to whether life was endangered and theft.
Mr Walters was seen on nearby CCTV footage walking his dog to a nearby petrol station on the night of the fire where members of staff had reported a diesel theft to police later that evening.
Another tenant, Walters upstairs neighbour and her children, aged five and nine, somehow managed to escape the property after being alerted to smoke billowing from the door of the defendant’s flat by another neighbour, police spokesperson has said.
Flammable liquid had been found by Forensic Investigators poured around Walters’ flat and evidence indicated that there where at least two areas of ignition in the hallway and living area.
Mr Walters was later arrested at his family home and is believed to have laughed his way through a police interview, a force spokesman said.
Walters is understood to have told his father he had set his flat on fire because he wanted to be relocated to another town. Walters later told his uncle that he did not care about the welfare of the occupants of the upstairs flat, adding: “They grassed me up to the council.”
Detective Constable James Crouch told the court that: “Walters set his flat ablaze with highly-flammable diesel and with absolutely no regard for the lives of others. “He showed no remorse for his actions during the investigation and would not engage with officers at any stage.
“Being trapped in a house fire is every family’s worst nightmare.
“Forensic evidence showed investigators this fire would have quickly spread out of control. “If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of other residents, the mother and her children who lived above Walters’ flat could have been seriously injured or worse.”