A YOUNG man feeling dejected after his girlfriend left him set his flat on fire.
The blaze spread and caused a total of £21,000 worth of damage to his flat and two adjoining flats at a block in Chestnut Court, Connah’s Quay.
Joel Christopher Golding, 20, knew there were other residents in the block at the time.
He was seen outside a short time later shouting: “Burn f******* burn”, Mold Crown Court, sitting at Chester, was told yesterday.
Golding admitted arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered and received three-and-a-half years’ youth detention.
The court heard how he initially considered staying in the flat and committing suicide but decided to leave.
The block had a total of 18 flats and Golding clearly knew some of them had been occupied at the time because he had been speaking to some of his neighbours,
Judge Philip Hughes said.
“The fire spread with some vigour,” he added. “You created a substantial risk of causing injury. You were simply in a forlorn and dejected state having suffered a broken relationship,” he said.
“But I am afraid for this kind of offence where you were reckless as to whether someone else might die, it can only be an immediate custodial sentence.”
The fire occurred in August last year when the smoke alarm was heard to go off.
Golding lived with two flatmates and had moved into the premises in March.
But on August 27 he had an argument with his girlfriend outside the premises.
Neighbours heard banging inside the flat and the smoke alarm went off, which was initially ignored.
But it later went off a second time, he was seen shouting outside and two women raised the alarm and knocked on the doors of other residents to get everyone out safe.
Firefighters found a severe blaze which badly destroyed his flat, a second flat was fire damaged and a third damaged by water.
The seat of the fire was said to be a sofa near the window.
Arrested and interviewed, Golding admitted starting the fire by lighting some rubbish.
At that point he was thinking of staying in the flat but was not thinking straight.
Defending barrister Phillip Tully said it was not premeditated. It was not a case of someone fascinated by fire or a fire started deliberately to put people’s lives in danger.
“This is a sad case of a young man at a very low ebb in his life taking a very foolish decision, contemplating suicide.
“Without any great thought he set fire to some rubbish and that caused substantial damage. Thankfully, no-one was injured.”
Golding, who had been settled in a flat in Mostyn, was told he was being moved to Connah’s Quay. He had no possessions but he started a relationship with a young lady which seemed to blossom.
Mr Tully added: “On the night in question that relationship broke down.
“It was at that stage this young man, aged 20, made a stupid, split-second decision to end his life and he started this fire.
“He quickly realised things had got out of hand and he left the flat. In a nutshell, that is the extent of his criminality.”