Man who wanted sausages jailed for arson after having barbecue in sister's living room

A man almost burned down his sister’s house trying to cook sausages on a disposable BBQ he sparked up in the living room. Dariusz Garbacki had been on a drinks binge over several days when he doused the foil-tray BBQ in lighter fluid and lit it inside the Wolverhampton terraced house. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the 28-year-old, who admitted arson, even ripped up floorboards and removed internal wooden doors … and threw them on the fire in a bid to fuel the flames.

Garbacki fled the house in Pennfields on June 10 after realising the damage he’d caused but was arrested in a nearby street by West Midlands Police officers. And on Friday the Polish national was jailed for three years. Investigating officer PC Mark Holt, said: “Garbacki had recently lost his job; it seems that sparked a prolonged drinking session that ultimately led him to start what could have been a devastating fire by lighting the BBQ indoors.



“It could be argued he acted irrationally due to alcohol – however, he tore down all the fire alarms inside the property so the smoke wouldn’t activate them and alert neighbours or passers-by. The fire caused a significant amount of damage and burned a large hole in the floor and joists. It’s a terraced house so the blaze could easily have spread to adjoining homes … it’s lucky no-one was injured or killed.” Garbacki was left alone in the house on June 10 after his sister, who he was staying with, left for work.

Inexplicably he chose to rustle up a sausage snack on a throw-away BBQ in the living room and, in frustration at the length of time it took to heat up, threw lighter fluid over the tray and then an assortment of wooden items. His sister returned home to find three fire-damaged internal doors and the shattered fire alarms scattered in the back garden. She alerted police and the fire service with Garbacki, a former builder, found by officers nearby. PC Holt added: “Three years is a strong sentence for this type of offence … it recognises what could have happened as a result of Garbacki’s reckless actions.”