A DEVASTATED mother has said she and her four children could easily have been killed in an arson attack.
Anita White, 32 was speaking after Ben Law of Cadole, near Mold, was jailed for five and a half years after he admitted arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered after he set alight the front door of her home in North Street, Shotton.
Anita and children Bradley 12, Jordan eight Lukas six, and 16-month old baby Matthew were upstairs in bed during the attack in the early hours.
She said she and the children were still suffering the traumatic effects of the incident in April.
“It has been the worst year of my life,” she said.
Law said he had done it to frighten Anita who had been involved in a minor dispute with a relative of Law’s girlfriend over children not getting on in the street.
But the minor issue sparked a horrific arson attack which led to the family being rescued from their home by firefighters.
After giving evidence – when she could bear to look at phots of her burned front door – Anita remained in the public gallery to hear the remainder of Law’s evidence this week.
She said she hoped the trial would give her some sort of closure so she and the children could try to move on and have a good Christmas.
Throughout his police interviews Law denied he had been to North Street and said the fire was nothing to do with him.
But he changed his mind and admitted the charge when his DNA was found on a beer bottle at her front door, which he used as a petrol bomb.
Anita, who has lived at her home for eight years, said she is determined not to be driven out because of what happened and said she cannot believe Law did it over something so minor.
She added: “The kids were talking again in a couple of days.
“It was something and nothing that happened a couple of weeks earlier and was certainly nothing to do with him.”
Fortunately two days earlier, by sheer coincidence, Anita had been given fire safety advice and when she saw the fire she got all the children into one room and waited for the fire service.
“I am so grateful to my neighbour Neil Hodgekiss who raised the alarm,” she said.
“Someone was watching over us that night.
“I relive that night every time I close my eyes.”
n LEFT: Anita White with one of her children who was trapped in the burning house.