Young man started fire in Sheffield homeless hostel ‘on impulse’

A young man set fire to his room in a Sheffield hostel because he wanted to see his girlfriend, a court heard.

By Tim Cunningham

Published 31st Jan 2020, 11:08 BST

Updated 12th Feb 2020, 15:16 BST

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Elliot Teather phoned the warden at Impact Living, on Wilfred Drive, to report the blaze at 9.30pm on July 28, 2018.

Prosecutor James Gould said Teather set fire to his curtains, causing £638 of damage and 25 other residents had to be evacuated while the fire was tackled.

Mr Gould added that Teather had no previous convictions.

Impact Living, on Wilfred Drive, Darnall

Ian Goldsack, mitigating, said: "He made admissions without which there couldn't have been a case.”

The court heard that because of his low IQ "he may have acted on impulse rather than planned" the arson.

Teather, 21, of Humberstone Avenue, Grimsby, pleaded guilty to arson in November last year.

At Sheffield Crown Court, on Friday, Judge Graham Reeds QC gave him a two-year community order with 35 rehabilitation days.