A MAN who started a fire at a woman’s house in Warrington while she was at home with her sister and four young children has been jailed.
Andrew Potter, who started a fire with a mattress and two jerry cans of petrol at the back door, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 28 November where he was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The 39-year-old of Thelwall New Road, Warrington, had earlier pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
At around 6am Wednesday 13 September, Potter attended a woman’s home address in Latchford, following a verbal disagreement the day before.
The woman, her sister, and four young children were in the property at the time.
Potter then set fire to the rear kitchen door using a quilt and two jerry cans full of petrol.
The victim and her sister noticed the door had been set alight and quickly ran upstairs.
Aiming a shower hose out the bathroom window, they were able to extinguish the fire. Once the fire was out and her family safe, the victim called the police.
CCTV enquiries identified Potter, and he was swiftly arrested and subsequently charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Neil Mooney, of Warrington Local Policing Unit, said: “The repercussions of what may have happened in this case are quite simply unthinkable.
“Potter was well aware that the victim and her young children were inside the house, and he put their lives at risk.
“Thankfully, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to set fire to the property, and no-one sustained any injuries.
“I would like to thank the courts for putting Potter behind bars, facing the consequences of his actions.”
