City care home residents fled after man set fire to bedsit
A DERBY man who forced a residential home to be evacuated when he set fire to his bedsit has been jailed.
Sonny Barrett, of no fixed address, had been staying at Mulberry Court Residential Home in Blagreaves Lane, Littleover, when he set fire to the mattress in his room after an argument.
The blaze gutted the room and staff were forced to evacuate the building on October 23, last year.
At a sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court, it was claimed the 21-year-old had been under a strong delusion and thought his mother was in danger.
Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said after arguing with someone at the care home for younger adults with mental health needs, Barrett went upstairs and locked the door to his room, ignoring a member of staff who tried to calm him down. Shortly afterwards the member of staff could hear things being smashed and then smelt smoke coming from inside.
Mr Jones said: “He shouted at him [Barrett] to get out. The fire alarm started ringing and the man arranged for a colleague to call the fire brigade and he started to evacuate the home. He could see Mr Barrett running away towards the main road and he was satisfied everyone had been evacuated.
“The damage to Mr Barrett’s room was significant. The room was completely gutted. The ceiling had burnt through to the beams and there were residents above. His room has been out of use for a considerable period of time and it’s estimated that the costs will run to approximately £8,000 to get the room to a standard where it can be used again.”
Mr Jones said the fire had left staff and residents at the home worried for their safety and without the quick actions of staff there could easily have been a significant risk of harm.
Barrett, who has 10 convictions for 19 previous offences, was charged with and admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Joe Harvey, mitigating, told the court Barrett had a history of mental health issues and these had been made worse by his drug use.
He said: “In the days leading up to the day in questions, he had described to me a period of four or five days when he had not been sleeping. He had convinced himself that his mother was in mortal danger. He has convinced himself that she had been kidnapped and those responsible had secreted her away in the building he was sleeping in.
“His plan was by starting a small fire, that would make the authorities come to look for her.
“He acknowledges and has sought to acknowledge that he is bitterly sorry about what happened. He knows it very much could have been worse. He wishes to relay through me how sorry he is and he would be prepared to do whatever is necessary to make things right. He is a man with difficulties and when they are properly managed he enjoys a law-abiding life without difficulty.”
Judge Jonathan Bennett said despite pleading guilty and very good character references, he was left with no choice but to imprison Barrett.
He said: “There was a significant risk of serious physical harm. There were multiple lives that were endangered. I come to the conclusion that you are a significant risk of committing further offences of this nature.”
He sentenced Barrett to 22 months’ jail, with an extended licence of three years, giving him a five-year sentence in total. Barrett will serve two-thirds of the 22 months period before becoming eligible for parole.