A SERIAL fire starter has been jailed for an indeterminate period after a judge labelled him “the number one arson offender in the area”.
Jack Silvester, 18, was jailed for arson being reckless as to whether lives would be endangered after he started a blaze which gutted three houses and caused more than £100,000 worth of damage in Tachbrook Road, Leamington, last July.
Sentencing at Coventry Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hodson heard Silvester had started a string of fires in Shipston on Stour, before moving to Leamington. He said: “You have a long-standing and unhealthy fascination with fire. You have returned to the scene and acted the hero to rescue animals. You get a thrill out of setting fires.”
The court heard Silvester, of Tachbrook Road, set fire to a shed in the back garden of Jason and Michelle Smith’s home in the early hours of July 18. The blaze spread to the couple’s home and two others. Families were evacuated and there were explosions from gas cylinders in the shed. Firefighters from Leamington, Nuneaton, Wellesbourne and Stratford were called.
Nick Devine, defending, said this was the first of Silvester’s offences to have exposed anyone to serious risk. “When the fire was started the ultimate consequences went far beyond what was anticipated.
“He went back to the house and did what he could to ensure that both people and animals were away from the fire. He only left the scene when accusations began to fly.”
Judge Hodson ordered Silvester should serve a minimum of three years and 202 days before being considered for parole, and only then when he is no longer considered a risk.
Coventry News 
