Church Crookham man sentenced following arson series

A 40 year old man has been given a 45 week prison sentence, suspended for two years, following a series of arsons in Church Crookham.

Jody Roberts of Wickham Place, Church Crookham, pleaded guilty to six arsons on August 29, 2018. Fires were set in various wheelie bins, fencing and rubble bags in the early hours of the morning at various locations in Fleet:

*  Glen Road
*  Reading Road South
*  Basingbourne Road 
*  The Verne

Roberts also admitted a further arson on July 11, 2019 in a large communal bin in Wickham Place, Church Crookham.

Winchester Crown Court heard that on the night of August 29, 2018, Hampshire Fire & Rescue were called to a blaze at a bin store in Reading Road South. As the fire engine was travelling to that fire, an officer spotted another fire in Basingbourne Road, and called for another pump to attend.

While the first fire engine was dealing, a member of the public from Reading Road South reported their bins were alight too. A further arson was then reported at Basingbourne Road, where a Hippo bag had been set alight. A further fire was in a garden in The Verne, where a bin bag was on fire.

The same night, another resident woke in the night to find his fence was on fire in Glen Road. He managed to extinguish the flames before reporting the incident.

On July 11, a year later, a member of the public discovered a fire in a large bin in a communal bin store in Wickham Place, Fleet. Hampshire Fire & Rescue again attended and put out the flames.

Roberts was identified through CCTV footage.

As well as the suspended sentence, Roberts was also placed under a Criminal Behaviour Order for five years and was fined £500.

Ends.