A MAN who poured fuel through the letterbox of a house while people were sleeping inside has been jailed.
Kevin Hughes, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was armed with a jerry can filled with fuel when he approached the property in Garratt Avenue, Mansfield at 4am on July 6, 2023.
The arsonist poured the accelerant through the house’s letterbox and onto the doormat, before setting the doormat alight and fleeing the scene.
A few hours later the homeowners woke up to discover their front door had been damaged and Hughes, 40, who was known to them, was arrested the following day.
He was sentenced to two years and six months behind bars following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court this week.
He previously pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
Detective Constable Amy Renshaw, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Hughes’ actions in the early hours of that morning were incredibly reckless and put everyone inside that property at significant risk of harm.
“This was an incredibly serious incident that could have quite easily led to catastrophic consequences – not just for the people inside the house but those in neighbouring properties too.”
She added: “Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread far and nobody suffered any injuries, although Hughes would’ve had no way of knowing that was going to be the case when he fled from the scene.
“It really should go without saying, but this kind of disgraceful behaviour has absolutely no place within our society, so we’re pleased to see Hughes has now been put behind bars for his actions.”