Kyle Daniels of Maesdu Place, admitted a charge of arson just moments before his trial was due to begin at Caernarfon
A man who bought petrol for an arson attack during which a man was hit by a fireball and left critically injured, has been jailed.
Kyle Daniels, 28, of Maesdu Place, Llandudno, who bought the petrol from a garage, admitted a charge of arson moments before a trial was due to begin at Caernarfon Crown Court today.
He had initially been charged with destroying by fire the front door of a property in Ffordd Las , Llandudno last September intending to endanger the life of Robert Lehart or being reckless whether life would be put in danger.
A jury were directed to formally find him not guilty of these charges.
James Coutts, prosecuting, said the blaze was spotted by a passer-by late on September 29 and the alarm was raised.
“The occupants of the flat above were alerted and made their way out of the property via the rear door.
But Mr Lehart, believing the fire not to be serious, had decided he could tackle it himself and opened the front door.
“With the rear door also open a fireball ensued and he suffered serious burns,” he said.
Initially these were believed to be life-threatening and Mr Lehart required surgery in hospital.
He has since recovered but is still suffering the after effects the court heard.
In a victim personal statement summarised in court Mr Lehart said he couldn’t stop thinking about the events of that night and what the consequences might have been if the blaze had spread before the alarm was raised.
Two men wearing hooded tops were seen to leave the area but these have not been traced Mr Coutts said.
Daniels was arrested and questioned and he told officers he had been asked by the two men, who were said by Daniels to be drug dealers from Liverpool, to do them a favour and buy the can and fuel.
He owed them £20 for illegal drugs and would be paid a further £20 for carrying out the task the barrister said.
“The two men remained out of sight of the CCTV cameras while the defendant went into the petrol station some 45 minutes before the alarm was raised,” he said.
Mr Coutts said the prosecution accepted the case against Daniels was limited to the account he gave police.
Matthew Curtis, defending, said Daniels accepted a jail sentence was inevitable.
He told the judge Daniels’ life had been blighted by the abuse of illegal drugs.
Jailing him for 16 months Judge Huw Rees said: “You purchased the petrol for one reason and one reason alone, that these men were going to set fire to something, somewhere.
“You played an effective but indirect part in the offence.”
Daniels had also admitted stealing a laptop and camera from a LLandudno hotel and was handed an eight-month prison sentence to be served consecutively making a total of two years behind bars.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/kyle-daniels-robert-lehart-arson-12712269
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