'Delusional' Northampton arsonist who set mother's house on fire with dogs inside remanded in hospital for mental health treatment

A 'delusional' Northampton arsonist who set his mother's house on fire with nine dogs inside has been sent to mental hospital for treatment.

The 30-year-old was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday (February 9), after he set his mother's house on fire while she was on holiday in September 2019, all while there were nine dogs inside.

Neighbours awoke to the smell of smoke up to 'almost half a meter in height' that had filtered in from where he was staying, the court heard.

After seeing the arsonist drive away, they saw flames billowing out from the neighbouring property and called the police.

Furgus Malone, prosecuting, said: "The defendant had been invited to stay by his mother while she and her partner were away on holiday.

"It was thought that having access to a home with some pets might help his mental health, which he had ben experiencing difficulties with since 2016.

"His mother later received messages over Whatsapp including threats to set the property on fire. These included saying that he would leave 'every dog dead' and 'you'll have nine dogs dead if you don't do something'."

The man had long suffered from what was later diagnosed as a 'delusional state' where he believed that he was being followed, harassed and had even been 'gang raped' by nameless individuals that sought to do him harm.

Mr Malone added: "The occupant of the adjoining house recalled they had just gone to bed when they heard a lot of banging and crashing in the early hours. He saw the defendant's car drive off and upon going back to bed, he and his partner smelled smoke.

"They found billows of smoke almost half a meter in height filtering through from next door and called the police.

"Two officers arrived at around 12.15am where they could see smoke and flames coming out of the front of the building from the living room.

"The officers saw a large pile of stuff like a bonfire that was alight. That included sofa seat cushions with newspaper pieces packed between them.

"As the fire service tackled the fire, seven dogs burst from the house and two more were found cowering at the back of the house."

None of the dogs were harmed by the fire.

The property, which was owned by the partner of his mother, had been uninsured since 2017, when the policy had lapsed. Damage done by the fire cost the homeowner over £10,000 in contents alone.

Doctor Shahid Lalif, who was the defendant's responsible clinician and appeared in court via video link, said that, upon admission, he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, however this was later updated to a 'delusional disorder' that had contributed to the defendant's outburst.

In sentencing, Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking QC said: "You pleaded guilty to arson, being reckless towards other people's lives, in September 2019.

"I am satisfied on the written evidence of two medical professionals, and indeed also the oral evidence of Dr Lalif, that you are in fact suffering from a mental disorder, and a disorder to such a degree that you should be detained in hospital for treatment.

"It appears to me, having regard to the serious nature of this offence, that you present a risk of committing further offences if set loose, and as a result it is necessary to make you subject to section 41 restrictions.

"There is a real risk, because of your mental disorder, you would cease to take your medication and self-medicate with cannabis and pose a serious risk of harm to the public within weeks.

"It would present such a risk that I must impose this order for the protection of the public."

He was placed under section 37 of the mental health act, remanding him to hospital instead of prison for treatment.