Rioter sentenced to 11 years for starting furniture store fire
The man accused of starting the fire which destroyed Reeves furniture store in the August riots has been jailed for 11 ½ years.
Gordon Thompson admitted starting the blaze that destroyed the 140 year old shop in Croydon, south London.
The blaze cost over £3 million and caused significant danger to residents and firefighters.
Thompson started the fire by setting fire to a cushion in the store. Shortly after he was heard boasting about what he had done.
Thompson admitted arson and also three charges of burglary for which he got concurrent lesser terms.
Judge Peter Thornton told him: “This day was a bad day for Croydon and the people of Croydon. Perhaps the most shocking event was that the House of Reeves was set alight and burned to the ground, putting lives at risk. This is, was, a landmark store, a furniture store of the Reeves family business which had stood on the site for over 140 years, proudly giving its name to its location, Reeves Corner. You were about to bring all that to an end. This was a deliberate, wilful act of shocking, dangerous vandalism.” The judge said the Reeves family’s loss was priceless. “The trauma they have suffered is inestimable.”
Many people were left traumatised by the incident. Many had to escape from the fire with young children.
It is now evident that Thompson has 20 previous convictions, including one for violent robbery.
Arson suspected at Luton Mosque
Fire crews were called to the Bury Park Jamie Masjid mosque in Luton after a fire broke out on 2nd April.
It is thought that the fire was started deliberately and was caused by two large metal bins that were pushed up against a door and set alight.
Detective Constable Colin Knight said: “We’re keeping an open mind and appealing for witnesses. We don’t know at this stage what the motive was.”
Anwar Hussain, the mosque’s cultural secretary, said: “People are going to be very upset when they come for prayers,” he said. “But we will tell them to remain calm. The investigation is ongoing but my opinion is that it was deliberate. The police response has been very good, they will be checking CCTV footage from the cameras in the street, and we hope they will catch the culprits.”
An investigation into the arson attack is now underway.
Events agency loses motorbikes in arson attack
A fire which seriously damaged 5 commercial buildings in a Corby industrial estate also destroyed a number of Honda motorcycles.
The fire was thought to have been started deliberately after ram raiders drove into the building.
The blaze started at events agency KCS. John Walker from KCS said: “We are understandably distressed by what has happened and also that something of this magnitude has affected KCS through the sheer reckless behaviour of others. Despite this however, we are putting all our efforts into rebuilding the business and replacing the assets so that we can continue to provide Honda with the events service and support we have been proud to deliver over the last 13 years. We have been inundated with calls from well-wishers and cannot thank them and Honda enough for their support. We may have been burned but it’s business as usual.”
KCS is Honda UK’s dedicated events agency and had been storing several bikes which had recently been used on the company’s stand at a motorcycle show in London.
Arson suspected at Lancashire industrial unit
Firefighters attended a large fire at an industrial unit in Elswick in Lancashire on the evening of 18th March.
Four crews arrived at the scene at around 6.34pm on Sunday and remained there until around 10.30pm.
The unit is in a residential area but no other properties were damaged in the fire and no casualties were reported.
Incident Commander, Geoff Etheridge said: “There were some propane cylinders and welding equipment inside. Firefighters worked hard to get this fire under control. There was minimal damage to the adjacent units. The firefighters did a good job to put a stop to it and stop it spreading further.”
It is not yet known what caused the fire but police have confirmed that arson is suspected. An investigation will now be carried out.
Arson suspected at Cambridgeshire flats
A fire which broke out at a block of flats in Eynesbury is thought to have been started deliberately.
Firefighters rescued five people from the first and second floor balconies of the building. The residents were unable to exit the building due to thick smoke in the communal stairwells.
Nine residents received treatment for smoke inhalation at the scene and seven people were taken to hospital but there were no serious injuries reported.
Crews from St Neots, Gamlingay, Papworth and Cambridge attended the incident.
Callum Faint from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Although this was a small fire, because it was located in the stairwell it put lives at risk. Firefighters did a fantastic job on arrival, immediately setting to work rescuing residents quickly but safely, and extinguishing the fire. Modern buildings are designed to stop the spread of fire for around an hour, so if you are unable to escape from your flat the best thing to do is place towels under the door to stop smoke entering your flat, and going to a window or balcony to alert firefighters to your presence and wait for us to rescue you.”
A full investigation into the cause of the blaze is now being carried out.