Man torched pal’s shed and attacked policeman
AN INTOXICATED man caused £4,700 worth of damage after setting fire to his friend’s shed and then went on to assault a police officer by kicking him.
Footage of the fire showed the arsonist pouring oil on the shed before setting it alight.
James Bristow, 30, woke up Daniel Dennehy by kicking down the door of his garden fence at his home in Cwmbran shortly after midnight on August 30 last year.
He proceeded to throw a number of tools around the garden before setting fire to the shed.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Mr Dennehy could see CCTV footage on his phone of the defendant entering the garden and shouting out “You f ****** c***”.
He recognised Bristow’s voice but did not leave his house out of fear.
A minute or two later, smoke and flames came from the victim’s shed and he contacted the fire brigade.
As the flames grew higher,
Bristow left, but he briefly returned to throw a garden strimmer on the blaze.
Prosecutor Martha Smith-Higgins said police attended the address, and while they were inside watching the CCTV footage, the defendant let himself into the house and made his way upstairs.
He was agitated and threatened to kick officers down the stairs. Attempts were made to calm him down, but after repeated threats of violence, the decision was made to arrest him.
During his arrest he kicked out and struck an officer in the chest twice with force.
The defendant also attempted to reach for an officer’s Taser, and PAVA spray was used to subdue him.
The officer kicked by Bristow suffered injuries to his forearm and finger.
When the fire brigade arrived, the shed was well alight, with oil or petrol having been poured on the flames.
The total value of the damage caused to Mr Dennehy’s property came to £4,700, and £2,000 worth of damage was caused to a neighbouring property belonging to a 90-year-old woman.
Bristow, of Kingsland Walk, St Dials, Cwmbran, was interviewed and accepted he was responsible for the fire. He said he couldn’t remember the incident as he had “switched off”, had four pints of Stella Artois and his “head hadn’t been right for a while”.
The defendant pleaded guilty to arson and assaulting an emergency worker, and the court heard he had two previous convictions for burglary and drink-driving.
In a victim personal statement, Mr Dennehy said: “I no longer feel safe in my own home, I am constantly looking out of my window and I am set off by noises... I felt claustrophobia from the flames getting larger and larger.
“I thought I would lose my life as the flames spread towards my house. I felt extreme heat through the bedroom window, and I thought the window was going to smash.
“I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone. I am suffering sleepless nights.”
As a result of the fire, Mr Dennehy said he has been prescribed sleeping tablets, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, and has lost his gardening business due to loss of his tools.
He added: “I thought (Bristow) was a good friend of mine, it’s changed how I look at people.
“Never in a million years I thought James was capable of this and I am now more wary of people.”
In mitigation, defence barrister Hilary Roberts said his client was “ashamed” of his behaviour and expressed remorse for how he had made his former friend feel.
At the time of the offences, he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, but since being remanded in prison he had done work to address his issues with substances, he said.
Judge Richard Kember sentenced Bristow to a total of 36 months’ imprisonment.
He also made the defendant subject to a restraining order for 10 years.