Man set fire to house with mum and her children inside
‘DESPICABLE’ ACTIONS PUT VICTIMS AT RISK AND CAUSED £20K OF DAMAGE TO HOME
AN arsonist knowingly set fire to a woman’s house while she was inside with her two daughters.
Danny Fretwell, of Sutton in Ashfield, deliberately started the blaze at the victim’s house in Mansfield following an argument on October 13, 2021.
After he showed up at her home drunk, the woman took her daughters upstairs out of harm’s way and left him alone downstairs.
Fretwell silently moved around the house collecting clothes, and put them into a plastic bag placed next to the backdoor before setting it alight.
The 24-year-old then stayed inside the house for ten minutes and watched the clothes burn while the woman and her daughters remained upstairs, unaware that anything was happening.
Fretwell then left the house, not saying anything, as the fire continued to burn. The woman came downstairs a few minutes later after she smelt smoke and found the patio doors at the back of her house engulfed in flames.
The family managed to escape from the house and called the emergency services. Nobody was injured, but the blaze caused damage costing around £20,000.
Fretwell, of Griffin Road, pleaded guilty to a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered at Nottingham Crown Court on February 16.
He appeared before the same court on Tuesday, July 19, where he was sentenced to three years in prison. Detective Constable Christophe Sutton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Fretwell’s callous actions that night were absolutely despicable.
“It is sickening to think that he would not only set the fire, but also deliberately put his victim and her two children at even further risk by fleeing the house without saying a word. Thankfully, nobody was injured, although the blaze did cause considerable damage to the house, while I have no doubt that it will have also left a mark on the family from an emotional standpoint too.”
He added: “Arson is a very serious and inexcusable offence that is both incredibly dangerous and can lead to devastating consequences for anyone who is unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It really should go without saying, but this kind of behaviour has absolutely no place in our society, so I am pleased to see that Fretwell has now been made accountable for his actions.”