Sheffield Crown Court: Arsonist living in Sheffield flat block set his own bed on fire

Prior to the fire being set on the afternoon of July 23 last year, members of a community mental health team went to visit defendant Adrian Shore at his ground-floor flat on Crookesmoor Drive, Crookesmoor.

“At that point he told them he wanted to be admitted to a crisis house. He was told this wasn’t possible, but other options would be explored…and they left,” prosecuting barrister, Andrew Bailey, told Sheffield Crown Court.

At around 4.45pm that day, Shore’s neighbour heard ‘banging and shouting’ coming from his flat, Mr Bailey told the court, during a March 14 hearing.

Around 20 minutes later, the same neighbour began to smell burning, and someone else living in the flat block shouted down to her and said they could see smoke coming from Shore’s flat.

The judge, Recorder Megan Rhys, said of the incident: “She left the premises with her dog to get to safety. She expressed to the police her fear that her flat would be burned down, and she would lose her belongings.”

The fire service were called out to extinguish the blaze, which was confined to Shore’s flat, and caused around £9,270 of damage.

Shore, 31, returned a short time later, and subsequently told police present at the scene that he had an ‘altar’ in his room, and a candle may have been left burning, Mr Bailey said.

He later admitted to a fire investigator and officers present during his police interview that he left a candle burning on his bed, and went for a walk.

“However he stated this was done during a psychotic episode,” Mr Bailey said.

A fire investigator determined that the fire had been started deliberately with a naked flame which had been placed on to the duvet of a double bed.

Shore was assessed by three doctors who submitted reports to the court, including consultant forensic psychiatrist, Dr Vinaya Bhagat.

Dr Bhagat told the court that while she was satisfied that Shore was suffering from a mental health condition – the nature of which was not disclosed – at the time of the incident, she did not believe it had been a ‘major factor’ in his decision to set the fire.

Recorder Rhys said she agreed with this assessment, and noted: “At the time of this offence you were angry with your neighbour, and you accepted that you wanted to scare her.”

After speaking with others involved in Shore’s care, Dr Bhagat also said she was able to establish that Shore had a history of ‘fire setting,’ although the court was told he is not thought to have been involved in any other serious incidents of arson previously.

Dr Bhagat told the court that because Shore’s ‘fire setting’ could not solely be attributed to his mental health problems, the danger such behaviour presents to the public could not be completely treated within a mental health support setting.

Shore pleaded guilty to a charge of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered at an earlier hearing.

Vanessa Saxton, defending, told the court that ‘despite all of his difficulties,’ this was Shore’s first criminal offence.

Recorder Rhys sentenced Shore to a Section 45A ‘hybrid’ hospital order, under the Mental Health Act 1983, which is to run alongside a 45-month custodial sentence.

This sentence means Shore will be treated in hospital for as long as it is deemed necessary, or for as long as he accepts the support offered and agrees to take medication for his mental health condition.

If Shore is discharged from hospital before the end of the custodial part of his sentence, he will be transferred to prison to serve the rest of it.