St Helen Auckland arsonist attacked victim in home

Patrick Campbell was jailed for a total of 47 months for the offences, the first two of which were committed in St Helen Auckland, on December 18, last year.

The 30-year-old defendant, of Melrose Drive, St Helen Auckland, admitted a charge of arson being reckless as to whether property would be damaged or life endangered when he appeared at the court last month.

He had also admitted assaulting the householder of the targeted property and assaulting an emergency worker, when he previously appeared before magistrates.

Ian West, prosecuting, told Durham Crown Court the resident of a property in The Square, St Helen Auckland, noticed on his CCTV covering the rear of his property that his moped, left in the back yard, had been set on fire.

He went out to see what was happening only to be confronted by three people, including the defendant, at his rear gate.

Mr West said the defendant seemed to be wanting to provoke an argument with the householder by saying he was wrongly blaming him for setting fire to the moped, even though, at that point, he had not made such an allegation.

Examination of the CCTV later showed Campbell had set fire to the moped using some form of accelerant and, as it had been parked close to the rear of the property, more than £2,000-worth of damage was caused, including to plastic window frames.

Mr West said the danger was that it might have spread to the rest of the property.

The defendant, who was described as being aggressive in his manner, approached the householder, pushing him backwards.

When he told the defendant the fire-setting had been recorded on CCTV, Campbell reached up and pulled the camera away.

The householder retreated into his property but was followed by Campbell who pushed him to the floor and punched him several times to the face, causing his eye brow to burst.

Mr West said the defendant then ran from the scene, but he was arrested five days later after police received information he was in a pub in Bishop Auckland, on December 23.

He became aggressive and had to be restrained, kicking a constable in the chest and he then threatened to kick him in the mouth as he was being searched by other officers.

When he was placed in the police van, he kicked an officer for a second time, causing a cut to his right wrist.

In an impact statement read to the court the victim of the damage and assault said it had really affected him and he was constantly looking out for people approaching his property.

He said he has since thought what might have happened had he not spotted the moped on fire on his CCTV, as if he had been in bed the blaze might have taken hold further, putting his life at risk.

The victim added that he felt intimidated as he did nothing to provoke the defendant and could not think of a reason why it happened.

Mr West said the defendant has 17 convictions for 34 offences on his record, including past cases of damaging property and resisting or obstructing a police officer.

The property previously damaged was at a local pub, from where the defendant was barred on the Pub Watch scheme.

Shaun Routledge, in mitigation, told the court that the defendant was, “at a low ebb at the time” of the latest offence, having broken up with a long-term partner, but there was nothing to suggest any deeper needed for mental health intervention.

Mr Routledge added that the defendant is now, “full of remorse” for his actions that night.

Judge Nathan Adams imposed a 45-month prison sentence for the arson and told Campbell it would have been a five-year sentence if he had taken the case to trial and lost.

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The judge added a further month for the assaults, plus another month for breaching a previous community order, making the total sentence one of 47 months' imprisonment.

He also made the defendant subject of a ten-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the arson victim or approaching his property.

Campbell will also have to pay a statutory court surcharge of £228 on his release from prison at about the mid-point in the sentence.