'Utterly stupid' friends spared jail for fire which was intended to help neighbour

Two friends who were condemned by a judge for their stupidity in starting a fire which caused £46,000 damage to a house have been spared jail. Sam Job and Declan Glendinning, both Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, hoped to dispose of a vast amount of rubbish that included mattresses, sofas and other assorted junk that had built up in a neighbour’s back yard. They were given £1 by the householder and put it towards petrol they bought from a filling station which was then used on the fire.



Prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, Jo Kidd said the defendants, who both admitted arson on April 13 this year, panicked when it became clear the fire was getting out of hand. The emergency services were called and the householder, who had remained inside the property, had to be helped out of a first floor window. The fire caused extensive heat damage to the house, while the windows fractured and the frames melted. Miss Kidd said the defendants, who both have previous convictions, thought the fire was a “great idea”. She said: “The fire took hold extremely quickly and spread with such ferocity that it presented a real danger to the house.”



Victoria Lamballe, for Job, said their motivation had been to help the neighbour, but admitted it was an “utterly stupid and ill conceived decision”. Job, 20, had a strong work ethic she said, but had lost his recent employment due to publicity from the case. She said the unusual circumstances meant Judge Howard Crowson could draw back from a immediate jail sentence. Glendinning, who is a few days away from his 17th birthday, was accompanied by his grandfather in the dock. The teenager’s barrister, Robin Denny said: “This is a young lad who seems to have a habit of getting into the company of people somewhat older than him and behaving badly.”



He said Glendinning had showed considerable improvement in his behaviour and hoped to start a Prince’s Trust programme in January. Judge Crowson said their actions had been grossly stupid, but not malicious. He said: “Although the damage was extensive, neither of you meant it.” Glendenning grinned as he was given a six month youth rehabilitation order, which will include a three month night-time curfew and a three month intensive supervision element. Job, who the judge said should have known better, was given a 16 month prison term, suspended for two years, and told to do 120 hours unpaid work. He was ordered to pay a £900 criminal courts charge and a £100 victim surcharge.