‘Obsessive’ arsonist is jailed for five years
AN “obsessive” arsonist who torched his ex-partner’s mother’s car in a “revenge attack” has been jailed.
Christopher Forster was caught on CCTV pouring “accelerant” over the woman’s car and setting fire to it in the early hours of the morning. The 32-year-old committed the arson attack around two weeks after breaching a restraining order when he approached his ex-partner and children as they sat in a car.
On Monday, Forster, of Keswick Road, Stanley, County Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for two counts of breaching a restraining order and arson. He had been found guilty of the arson offence and one of the breaches following a trial.
The court was told that Forster had been in a relationship with his partner for around seven years and had two children together.
But the relationship, which had been marred by domestic violence, ended in 2018, and Forster was made subject of a restraining order, which was due to last until 2026.
The restraining order banned Forster from contacting his expartner or from entering certain streets in County Durham. But on April 28 last year, he breached the order.
Andrew Pickin, prosecuting, said: “The defendant approached [his ex] while she was with the children in her car waiting outside a shop. She noticed the defendant and he began trying to communicate with the children in the back seat.”
Around a fortnight later, on May 12, Forster breached the restraining order for a second time when he went to the street where the mum of his ex-partner lives.
The court heard Forster who had his face partially covered – was captured on CCTV pouring an “accelerant” over the car before setting it alight.
The fire brigade were called to extinguish the blaze, which was described as “significant and well-developed”. Forster – who had eight previous convictions for 14 offences – was jailed for five years and a 10-year restraining order was imposed.