Man torched bedroom at shared Sheffield terraced house in “moment of madness” following row
Staff were forced back out of the smoke-filled room, prompting the arrival of firefighters
A man “in crisis” torched a bedroom in a shared Sheffield terraced house in a “moment of madness” following a row - sparking an evacuation and firefighters to battle the blaze.
Umar Rizwan, 24, had been living at the supported housing on Shoreham Street for five years when on April 7 his frustration “boiled over”.
Staff armed with a fire extinguisher were puched back out of the smoke-filled room, prompting the arrival of firefighters to douse the flames.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Rizwan had used a lighter to set a blanket on fire in a staff bedroom opposite that of the resident he had fallen out with.
Ian Goldsack, prosecuting, described how on the day of the incident Rizwan - diagnosed with bipolar, autism and anxiety - was observed to have slept badly and in a “bad mood”.
At 7.56am he “swore” at staff on his way out of the building before they heard a fire alarm sounding.
Less than an house after the blaze Rizwan - who had fled the scene - rang staff at the unit saying he lit the fire after an argument.
Mr Goldsack said: “The defendant was arrested near his mother’s address at 9.15am. A red lighter was recovered from him. He said he used it to cause the fire.
“He admitted going upstairs and setting fire to a blanket on a mattress in the room.”
The manager of the premises said in a statement read to the court: “I need Umar to understand the consequences of what he has done.
“He could have killed someone - I never thought he was capable of something like this.”
Katherine White, defending Rizwan, said her client’s difficulties had been “compounded” on the day of the fire by lack of sleep and the recent loss of his brother. The court heard he had no previous convictions.
Releasing Rizwan from prison remand and back into social care, Judge Sarah Wright noted Rizwan was a “young man with a number of disadvantages”, described as ordinarily “polite and respectful” by staff.
She suspended a 20-month jail term for three years. Umar, formerly of Shoreham Street, admitted arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.