Peterlee woman bought petrol canister and used it to set light to car

Having been dropped off at a service area on the A19 earlier that day by him, following a row, Louise Scott sought vengeance.

Durham Crown Court heard she bought a canister of petrol at an auto services store in Peterlee and went to his home in the town, where she poured some of the petrol over his Audi A3, parked outside, at about 5.15pm on August 1, last year.

She ignited the petrol, burning out the Audi, said to be valued at £2,000, while a woman’s Renault Clio, parked alongside, also suffered £435-worth of damage from the spread of the flames.

Read more: Drug dealers, arsonists & burglar jailed in the North East so far in October

David Robinson-Young, prosecuting, said the Audi owner had to pay a £300 insurance excess and suffered a £1,300 loss of earnings after taking a fortnight off work in the wake of the incident.

Mr Robinson-Young said Scott was duly arrested on her return home.

The 44-year-old defendant, of Johnson Close, Peterlee, admitted two counts of arson when she appeared before Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court, last month.

Her case was sent to be sentenced to the crown court, which was told that she is subject of probation rehabilitation and an alcohol treatment order imposed by magistrates, on July 25 this year.

It was part of an eight-month suspended sentence order, to run for 18 months, for possessing a bladed article and a public order offence, both committed on June 8 this year.

Shaun Dryden, in mitigation, said the arson attacks were committed later on the same day in which she appeared at court for driving with excess alcohol and other matters.

Mr Dryden said despite being arrested and interviewed for the arson offences on August 2 last year, having been told there was cctv footage evidence of her carrying out the offence, she was not charged until October this year, almost three months after receiving the suspended sentence.

“It’s difficult to understand why there was a delay in charging her.

“It would have been preferable if she had been charged with it before now.”

Read more: County Durham burglar hit by car minutes after terrorising Peterlee woman

Referring to a Probation Service report prepared for the excess alcohol case, Mr Dryden said the defendant had been “in a difficult relationship” for which there were numerous police call-outs.

Mr Dryden said on August 1 last year she was in a car with her partner who “threw her out” at a service station on the A19, where staff called the police to take her home.

He said she was intoxicated at the time and as a result of the incident she acquired the accelerant and set fire to her, by then, former partner’s car.

Mr Dryden said: “She knows it was completely the wrong thing to do, but it was the culmination of many months of abuse aimed at her.

“Since then she has a further court appearance in July this year, arising from a street altercation with neighbours over loud music being played, in which she went into a property and produced a knife.

“She received a suspended sentence order for that, which is working, going well.

“She tells me she has tried to get a grip on her alcohol addiction as part of an alcohol reduction order.

“She had a very traumatic upbringing and that was the reason she turned to alcohol, but that now appears to be under control.

“It’s with the benefit of the suspended sentence order on which she is progressing well with her lack of alcohol use and mental health issues.

“If she were to receive a prison sentence today all that good work will be undone, bearing in mind the good strides she has made in recent months.”

Recorder Edward Legard said there appears to have been an element of pre-planning, given the purchase of the fuel.

“It was a revenge attack with use of an accelerant and you were clearly reckless as to whether or not serious damage was caused.

“It was clearly an offence committed under the influence of alcohol.”

Read next:

               Explosion and fire at Horden house linked to domestic cannabis grow

               Horden man who fled UK after arson attack jailed on return

               Quartet jailed in separate cases at Durham Crown Court recently

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He said an immediate custodial sentence “would be merited”, but the public would be “better served” by her continuing to undergo her “rehabilitation”.

Recorder Legard said it appeared to be going well and he did not want to interfere with her good progress.

He, therefore, imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, during which she must complete 30 probation rehabilitation activity days and abide by an alcohol treatment programme for a further 12 months.