A drunken arsonist set a fire inside an empty Newcastle property after downing six litres of wine.
Alexander Burns was seen kicking the door in on a vacant property on West Road on October 3, last year, before smoke was seen coming from the building. When emergency services arrived, the 37-year-old was arrested near to the scene and police found a small amount of cannabis stashed "between his buttocks". It later transpired he'd set a chair and a stool on fire before leaving the building.
On Monday, Burns, of Colston Street, Benwell, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, via link from HMP Durham, to be sentenced for arson and possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.
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Rachael Glover, prosecuting, said the vacant property had been empty for years but was checked on a daily basis to make sure it was secure. But at around 11pm on October 3, a group of people opposite the property saw Burns approach the building.
Ms Glover said: "The defendant was seen kicking the door and he forced the door before going inside. He then reappeared on the street, by now the witnesses had contacted the police and kept on observing. Flames could then be seen coming from inside the building."
The court heard that Burns walked off but was followed by a witness as the fire brigade and police attended. When firefighters went inside the building they found a chair and a stool alight. Burns, who had a bottle of wine on him, was later arrested and a small amount of cannabis was later discovered "between his buttocks" at the police station.
The court was told Burns had 90 previous convictions for 143 offences and was subject to a community order at the time. Despite his previous convictions, he had no previous convictions for arson.
Tony Cornberg, defending, said Burns had drank "six litres of wine" before the fire and was "not someone who has a fascination with fire". He said Burns had issues with accommodation at the time and had started a fire in the building in order to keep warm. He said: "He tried to call 999 using phone boxes but they were broken", adding; "Alcohol is clearly at the core of all of his offending".
Sentencing Burns, Judge Edward Bindloss said the incident "could have been a lot worse if the fire spread" and said there was a takeaway next door where people were still working. He said: "There was a significant risk of significant harm had the fire spread. Thankfully it did not. You have a history of homelessness and alcohol and drug use. You were also socially isolated at the time."
Burns was jailed for 20 months.
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