An arsonist who caused fire damage to his council-owned Kendal flat while cooking on a “barbecue” after his power was cut off has been sentenced by a judge.
Jeffrey Hayton, 55, was living in squalor within multi-occupation accommodation at New Road when his crime occurred over the course of several months last year.
Prosecutor Brendan Burke told Carlisle Crown Court: “It appears that after his power had been cut he had improvised, cooking, so that there were burns to floorboards, ash strewn around. He had masked the smoke detector.”
Damage was captured on police bodycam footage, and restricted to a small area where cooking had occurred.
Hayton admitted a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. The court heard he had 164 criminal offences to his name, including a previous arson having started a fire in the vestry of St George’s Church, Kendal, in 2018.
More recently there had been public order crimes and some violence. Chris Evans, defending, said the most recent arson was not deliberate. Hayton had been living in squalid “desperate conditions” with his sole purpose having been to cook with a “barbecue system”.
He now appeared willing to mend his ways and was receiving assistance while living in approved premises in Cheshire. After reading a “considerable number” of background reports, Recorder Eric Lamb imposed a 18-month community order.
Hayton must complete a rehabilitation requirement and a six-week nighttime curfew.The judge observed: “Yours has been a very troubled existence of late but you have now taken steps to seek to put your house in order and to avoid the problems, particularly with alcohol, that have beset you previously.”
