Supermarket arson attack was an act of ‘revenge’
A MAN set fire to a supermarket delivery truck in a revenge plot against the store’s manager.
Keiron Miller was caught lurking at the back of the Iceland store in Barry in the early hours one morning before the vehicle went up in flames.
The fire engulfed the vehicle and also spread to some nearby buildings – causing £48,000 worth of damage.
A month later, Miller struck again – this time torching a car in Barry.
After being arrested by police, the 32-year-old denied any involvement in either incident – telling an officer: “It wasn’t me – on my mother’s grave, mate.”
But detectives saw Miller on CCTV outside the Iceland store and discovered his mobile phone inside the vehicle targeted in the second attack.
Prosecuting, Byron Broadstock told Cardiff Crown Court yesterday that the incident at the Iceland store in Barry took place on April 24, 2019.
Mr Broadstock said the motive behind the attack was to get “revenge” on the store manager – although the exact details were not disclosed to the court.
The prosecution said the second incident happened on May 6 when a vehicle was found on fire in the early hours of the morning on Gladstone Road.
Defending Miller, Hashim Salmman said his client had experienced “an extremely troubling childhood”. He added: “He left education aged 11.” The court was also told Miller had ADHD and is also thought to have some form of personality disorder.
Mr Salman said his client was genuinely remorseful and pleaded guilty to two counts of arson at the earliest opportunity, during an earlier hearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.
Judge Richard Williams said the two incidents were extremely serious and had endangered people’s lives.
He told the defendant: “You went to the rear of the Iceland store on Holton Road, where you set fire to one of three delivery vehicles.
“The fire spread from one of the vehicles and some damage was caused to nearby buildings.
“People working in these buildings had to be evacuated. April 24 was a deliberate arson attack.”
Miller, of Vere Street, Barry, was handed a six-year jail sentence. He was told he will serve at least two-thirds of that sentence in prison.
When he he is released he will then be subjected to an extended four-year licence.