A FIRE-RAISER has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after he fire bombed a house, trapping a terrified mother and her four young children inside.
Ben Law admitted arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
It followed a terrifying incident when a Deeside family were trapped in an upstairs bedroom at their home which started filling with toxic smoke when he set their front door on fire late at night.
Firefighters raced to the scene and a baby was rescued through the bedroom window and taken down a ladder to safety by one firefighter while colleagues put out the blaze which damaged the UPVC front door of the property in North Street, Shotton, in April.
Anita White and her other three children were then led to safety through the front door, Mold Crown Court was told yesterday.
The letter box and upper part of the door was severely damaged in the arson attack where an accelerant, possibly petrol, had been used.
Fortunately it was prevented from getting inside the property because a metal plate had been fixed on the inside of the letter box to prevent anything being pushed through.
While the motive was not clear, but it was suggested that it was to do with a dispute between children in the street.
Law, whose girlfriend was related to the mother of the other children involved, had deliberately started the fire after knocking up neighbours, asking where she was, a jury was told.
One of those neighbours later identified him with a distinctive tattoo - initials on his cheek.
Law, 25, of Village Road, Cadole, near Mold, admitted starting the fire and claimed he had thrown a petrol bomb at the wall, believing the house was not occupied.
He said he believed Miss White and the children were out and that he had done it simply to frighten her.
He had no intention to endanger life and was cleared of that charge by the jury.
Judge John Rogers QC told him he set out to terrify Anita White.
"You knew she had children and you decided that you would terrify her by fire.
"You took a bottle, you placed petrol in it, and you got some tissue preparing to make a petrol bomb."
He went to the house where Miss White was feeding her nine-month-old son in an upstairs bedroom.
"You must have known that the house was occupied, he said.
"But you chose to take that fire bomb, you lit it, you either threw it at the door or you used it to start a fire in the vicinity of the letter box.
"You then left. You did not attempt to warn Miss White, you made no attempt to call the fire service, you simply left her and her four children to their fate," the judge told him.
By chance, a neighbour Neil Hodgekiss saw what had happened, raised the alarm, and the fire service arrived expeditiously, put out the fire and assisted all five to safety.
The judge warned Law, who had previous convictions for 48 offences including robbery, that if he had been convicted of arson with intent to endanger life then he would have received a indeterminate prison sentence for the protection of the public.
He took into account that it was reckless arson, he had pleaded guilty, and the fire was started in the door and that the petrol bomb did not go through a window.
Simon Killeen, defending, said it was not a prank but a very serious matter by a troubled young man who had gone off the rails and who had been drinking too much.
Law said it was "a prank which went badly wrong" but from a note he saw on the door, he did not think there was anyone in the house.
Miss White told the jury there was no note on her door.