Steven Newman, 37, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to arson and other offences
A man who threatened to kill police officers as he set fire to the house he shared with his mother has been jailed.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that defendant Steven Newman told officers he had “nothing to live for” because he believed he had testicular and prostate cancer.
Police were called because of an altercation outside a shop. The 37-year-old had threatened to stab Paul Mitchell. He intervened after he saw Newman, of no fixed abode, shouting at his mother because she would not give him money.
Newman pleaded guilty to threatening a person with an offensive weapon, arson and two counts of assault.
Prosecutor Gareth James described the incident which began just after noon on June 25.
Defendant occupied home with mother
“Police were summoned by the shopkeeper and officers went to the defendant’s address,” he said.
“That’s one he occupied with his mother, it’s a mid terrace property in Lliswerry, in Newport .”
The officers knew the defendant and shouted to ask if they could help him. The court heard
Newman told them to “f*** off”.
The officers called for help. More police arrived wearing helmets and carrying shields.
Newman began barricading himself into the house.
“The defendant was not compliant with requests to come down stairs and started to erect a barricade at the top of the stairs,” Mr James said.
“He was telling officers he had nothing to live for.”
"I will kill one of you if you come up here"
He told the police he thought he had testicular and prostate cancer.
“I’m not f***ing going anywhere, I will kill one of you if you come up here,” the court heard Newman said.
“I’m going to burn the place if you come in here, with you in it.”
A blaze was started. Officers felt they needed to stop the situation and started trying to dismantle the barricade.
Newman began throwing things down the stairs including a car battery, a door and the worktop.
The door and the worktop each hit officers.
The defendant only stopped after he was tasered and pinned down with a shield. The fire service were then called to deal with the flames.
Newman had committed 63 previous offences. None were arson but included robbery, GBH and violent disorder.
Ben Waters, defending, told the court his client had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was 20. Newman’s sister died when he was young and he had had a “troubled upbringing.”
Mental health problems
“These social factors have contributed to the defendant’s mental health,” Mr Waters said.
He was unable to say whether Newman’s misuse of drugs was down to his illness but reports said he had suffered from hallucinations.
“More recently and through his adult life his mental health problems have been exacerbated by continued misuse of drugs,” Mr Waters said.
Sometimes his client would not take the medication prescribed to him.
“Since he has been in custody he has been prescribed and administered an oral psychotic medication which is having a beneficial effect upon him,” Mr Waters said.
He hoped that any prison sentence would create a routine that would result in his taking medication becoming second nature to him.
Mr Waters told the court that when Newman threatened Mr Mitchell the attack was not planned.
“He was doing some work in the house and had the screwdriver with him,” Mr Waters said.
Arson "serious aspect" of case
Sentencing, Judge Patrick Curran QC took Newman’s early guilty plea into consideration.
He said the arson was the most serious aspect of the case.
“Fire can spread rapidly and always represents a real source of danger to the lives of others,” Mr Curran said.
Newman was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment.
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