Published date: 06 December 2016 |
A man started a number of fires on the carpet of his first floor council flat in order to keep warm.
Nearby flats were evacuated and police officers who entered the flat were affected by smoke.
James William Edwards, 28, of Glaslyn, Acrefair, near Wrexham, was arrested the following day in possession of a large kitchen knife.
At Mold Crown Court yesterday. it was described as a sad case and he was made the subject of a hospital order under the Mental Health Act.
Edwards will be treated at a medium secure psychiatric unit at Ty Llewelyn, Llanfairfechan.
Judge Niclas Parry decided not to make a restriction order which would have meant the Secretary of State would have to authorise his release.
The judge described it as a sad case but one with serious implications for public safety and protection.
It was accepted he did mean to endanger life and in normal cases he would have been entitled to full credit in sentence for his early guilty pleas to arson and possessing the knife.
Edwards had been subject to an interim hospital order since August and the judge said he had read four psychiatric reports and had heard oral evidence from one doctor.
While reference had been made to previous convictions, there was nothing of sufficient gravity to cause the court to say a restriction order was required.
He said it was appropriate to make a hospital order without a restriction order.
There was a bed available for him at Ty Llewelyn and the judge told Edwards he was pleased to hear he was making progress, taking his medication and was co-operating with the treatment regime.
“A lot of people are trying to help you,” he said.
Barrister Brett Williamson, prosecuting, said overnight on February 28-29 Edwards set a number of fires in his home to keep warm. It was a first floor local authority bedsit flat at the end of a block of flats.
Edwards piled up rubbish on the floor and set fire to it in the living room and in the kitchen.
There were three piles of rubbish and a tent he was using, erected inside the living room, also caught fire.
The flat filled with acrid smoke but there was no penetration of fire or smoke to surrounding flats.
Police were alerted and they entered the property but had to leave within minutes because of the fumes.
Firefighters put out some of the fires and others had already gone out.
When arrested the following day in Wrexham, Edwards had a large kitchen knife on him. He appeared dazed and his clothing had small burn marks on them.
Edwards had convictions for criminal damage related to arson.
Ceri Evans, defending, said her client had been in custody from March through until September and had since been responding well at the unit.
She said doctors had agreed he could be treated without a restriction order being imposed.
The court heard Edwards had suffered mental health issues for a number of years and had a history of drug abuse.
There had been a problem with compliance and taking his medication in the past which could all increase the risk factor.
He had a history of hearing voices and it was likely he would pose a risk of reoffending if he was in the community without proper treatment.
At an earlier hearing Edwards denied a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, but his guilty plea to an alternative charge of reckless arson was accepted by the prosecution.
He also admitted possessing a kitchen knife in Wrexham the following day.
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/169835/acrefair-man-set-fires-on-carpet-in-his-flat-to-stay-warm-.aspx
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