Arsonist waved to camera before pouring fuel through letterbox

A MAN has been jailed after he poured fuel through the letterbox of a home and set it alight.

Kevin Hughes, pictured, was carrying a can filled with fuel as he approached the house in Garratt Avenue, Mansfield, at around 4am on July 6 last year.

He spent several minutes leaning against its gate and took time to wave at a CCTV camera before walking up the garden path. With people sleeping inside the house, the 40-year-old poured the fuel through the letterbox and onto the doormat, before setting the mat on fire.

The homeowners woke up a few hours later to discover their front door had been scorched. Hughes, who the residents knew, was arrested the following day, after being identified by the clothes he was wearing, his tattoos, and his walking style.

Hughes, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday, February 20, after pleading guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

Detective Constable Amy Renshaw, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Hughes’ actions in the early hours of that morning were incredibly reckless and put everyone inside that property at significant risk of harm.

“This was an incredibly serious incident that could have quite easily led to catastrophic consequences – not just for the people inside the house but those in neighbouring properties too.

“Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread far and nobody suffered any injuries, although Hughes would’ve had no way of knowing that was going to be the case when he fled from the scene.

“This kind of disgraceful behaviour has no place within our society, so we’re pleased to see Hughes has now been put behind bars for his actions.”