Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Woman accused of attempted murder after blaze in house
A woman has appeared in court accused of three counts of attempted murder following a house fire in Canterbury.
Pearl Thomas, 37, is alleged to have started a blaze in the kitchen of her home in Keats Corner on Friday.
She and three others suffered burns and smoke inhalation in the fire at the semi-detached house shortly after 3.30pm.
Thomas was taken to hospital and later arrested. She was questioned on Friday night and charged the following day with attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
She appeared before Dover magistrates on Monday and was remanded in custody to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on May 12.
It emerged fire crews were alerted by a member of the public who spotted smoke pouring from the building.
Stunned neighbours say the peaceful estate was awash with sirens and flashing blue lights as police, fire crews and ambulances raced to the scene.
Dad-of-six Alan Todd, 39, says he returned from a family day out to find the police cars on the estate.
He said: “I asked the fire crews if there was a gas leak as I was worried about going into my house, but I was told it was a small kitchen fire.
“Because we haven’t lived here that long we don’t really know each other. Everyone just keeps themselves to themselves.”
A mum who lives close to Thomas says she heard the smoke alarm in the house sounding while out with her children and returned to find a crime scene.
She said: “We were out walk-
‘We spent our life savings moving here so our children wouldn’t see anything like that, so it was distressing for all of us’
ing when I heard the smoke alarm sounding. When we returned you could tell it was a crime scene with the amount of police, fire and ambulances there.
“The police didn’t come and knock on our doors so when we heard about what happened over the weekend we were devastated.
“We spent our life savings moving here so our children wouldn’t see anything like that, so it was distressing for all of us.
“On Sunday we saw a couple of vans of what must have been relatives clearing the house, taking furniture away with them.”
Another neighbour added: “I haven’t seen anything like it before. Normally this is a quiet estate.”
Firefighters returned the day after the fire and posted letters on the estate offering fire safety advice.