GUESTS FLED 4AM ‘ARSON ATTACK’ ON 5TH FLOOR OF CITY CENTRE HOTEL

Two members of staff were injured and five rooms damaged

AN arson attack which triggered the evacuation of dozens of guests from a £20 million hotel caused damage worth £129,473.90.

Guests fled from their rooms after the blaze broke out on the fifth floor of the Hilton Garden Inn, in Hanley, at 4am on February 28.

Five rooms were damaged in the blaze.

Now the arsonist – 39-year-old Simon Baddeley, of High Lane, Burslem – has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Stoke-on-trent Crown Court heard that the hotel was only open for ‘essential’ workers during the time of the third coronavirus lockdown.

Baddeley had checked in to room 503 at 5.30pm the previous night after producing evidence that he was a lorry driver.

The night porter went to investigate after the fire alarm activated at 4am.

Peter Mccartney, prosecuting, said: “The night porter was going up to the fifth floor when Mr Baddeley passed him.

“Mr Baddeley told him that there had been a fire and ‘someone has done something in my room’.

“When the porter got to the hallway there was black smoke and he struggled to breathe. The heat was so intense. He could hear fire crackling.

“He was concerned as most guests were in their rooms. He called 999. One of the guests was woken by the fire alarm.

“She had a colleague in the hotel so banged on her door, but got no response.

“She said the door to room 503 was open and something was on fire.”

Checks revealed 14 guests were unaccounted for. Two members of staff were injured and had to take two weeks off work.

Mr Mccartney added: “Three firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went searching for guests.

“They searched his room and found a kitchen knife on the bed. There was bedding stuffed into the air con vent.

“CCTV shows that around 4.25am Mr Baddeley exits room 503. There seems to be a flash. He re-enters three times. He was arrested at 9.30am in Hanley and when interviewed answered no comment.

“There was extensive fire and smoke damage to the room – also smoke damage to rooms 501, 502, 504, 506 and 508.”

A psychiatrist ruled that Baddeley was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the incident.

Judge Paul Glenn told him: “I hope you are getting better.”

He added: “I sentence you to a hospital order.

“You will be discharged when it’s deemed appropriate by the clinical team. You will be subject to certain conditions on your release.”