Man poured fuel through letterbox during early-morning arson attack

An arsonist who poured accelerant through a house’s letterbox and set it alight has been jailed.

Kevin Hughes was armed with a jerry can filled with fuel when he approached the property in Garratt Avenue, Mansfield.

He then spent several minutes leaning against the gate outside – even waving at a CCTV camera – before walking up the garden path.

With multiple people sleeping inside the house, the 40-year-old proceeded to pour the can’s contents through the letter box and onto the doormat.

He then deliberately set the mat alight, before fleeing back up the garden path without making any attempts to put it out.

That happened around 4am on 6 July 2023, with the homeowners waking up a few hours later to discover their front door had been damaged.

Hughes, who was known to the house’s occupants, was arrested the following day, after being identified by the clothes he was wearing, his tattoos, and his walking style.

Following a police investigation supported by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, he was charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

Having already pleaded guilty to this, Hughes, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday (20 February).

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.

“It really should go without saying, but this kind of disgraceful behaviour has absolutely no place within our society, so we’re pleased to see Hughes has now been put behind bars for his actions.”

Dave Coss, East Midlands Fire Investigation Dog Handler, added: “Our Fire Investigation Dog team were able to find positive samples from two separate addresses to support the conclusion of this case.

“We take deliberate fire setting very seriously at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, and will always work with our partners to hold people to account.

“As always, CSI and Fire Investigation worked brilliantly well together on this incident, and Ginny, our Hydrocarbon Dog, was excellent.”