Walter Harrison was seen by neighbours wandering the streets naked while shouting, throwing things, and banging on neighbours’ doors just hours before he started a fire
A 71-year-old man has been jailed after he intentionally set fire to his home whilst high on monkey dust. Currently a Class B substance, the drug is reported to be responsible for acts of violence and arson – particularly in Stoke-on-Trent.
Walter Harrison, who has 23 convictions for 53 offences, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life after he torched bedding in a street of OAPs’ bungalows. Harrison, who is homeless, had been seen wandering the streets naked in Churnet View, Leek, shouting, throwing things, and banging on neighbours’ doors just hours before he started the fire.
The damage caused by the fire started by Harrison has been estimated to be in the region of £100,000. Describing the impact of Harrison’s behaviour on his neighbours Emily Andrews, prosecuting, told the court how a neighbour saw Harrison naked at their door in the early hours of the morning.
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Ms Andrews said: “A phone call was made by a neighbour on August 17 after the defendant tried her door during the early hours of the morning. Mr Harrison was naked outside her address, he was shouting oddities, and he was throwing objects around the garden.
“The neighbour saw smoke and the defendant said things about babies and other things she couldn’t make sense of. He was with his dog, Axel, and the RSPCA collected him unharmed from the police station the next day.”
Ms Andrews continued: “The fire started to spread into other rooms. Its origin was combustible materials located on the double bed including the duvet, pillows, and mattress. The flame was introduced by human interaction. The defendant was arrested, but he was not interviewed because there were concerns of smoke inhalation and he was taken to hospital.”
Barry White, mitigating, said “Mr Harrison was not in the right place at that time. He has spent much of his life in prison. He’s had no proper education apart from that in prisons. Stress caused by his life in general, it is not an easy life, led him to live much of it in prison. He is sorry for what happened and appreciates the damage he caused and the risks he posed. He knows today will be prison, perhaps this is a second home to him, but I would ask his sentence to be as short as possible.”
Harrison was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court where he was jailed four-and-a-half years, reports Stoke-On-Trent Live.
Judge Trevor Meegan said: “In the early hours you stood outside your home address, you were screaming and displaying erratic behaviour, and you were naked. You attempted to gain access to your neighbours’ houses by banging on doors and trying handles.This is a street of old people’s bungalows at a retirement stage in their life – your property was such with one bedroom – you used a lighter and I’m quite satisfied that’s how you set fire to your bed.
“The fire spread and photos show extensive fire and smoke damage to the living room, bedroom and hallway – in summary it will all have to be re-gutted and rebuilt from inside. There’s around £100,000 worth of damage – that is a loss for the community, a loss of houses for elderly people, which are in need.”
