Teenagers 'wreaked havoc' during post office arson

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Teenagers 'wreaked havoc' during post office arson, court told

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A pair of teenagers were accused of “wreaking havoc” on a Cambridgeshire village on the first day of their arson trial.

The boys, aged 14 and 15 and dressed in dark suits, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday charged with burning down a post office and general store in Town Green Road, Orwell, on Saturday, March 5.

The two admitted to using toilet roll to set fire to one of the two large commercial wheelie bins near the store but deny recklessly destroying or damaging the post office itself after it caught light.

Nick Hoffman, prosecuting, told the jury in his opening remarks: “It is clear the havoc these two young men wreaked on that village on that morning.

“There is no doubt that these two boys, despite their age, appreciated the risk they were taking.”

At around 6am, the post office was gutted by fire, causing £500,000 of damage, after the overhanging roof caught light.

Two neighbouring homes also went up in flames, leading to residents being evacuated.

Mr Hoffman read out a number of statements from witnesses in the area, including the owners of a green Nissan car and a red Mini Cooper, which were also damaged.

The accused admitted causing damage to the cars.

The court also heard a statement from the store’s owner – 51-year-old father-of-three Satnam Boora – who described turning up at the scene at 7am to find six fire appliances and a turntable ladder surrounding the building, which was absorbed by flames.

And Nigel Burgess, station commander at Huntingdon Fire Station, took to the witness stand to say he believed the fire had indeed started in the bin.

He said: “The bin was just to the left of the doors which were the main entrance and exit.

“They were adjacent to the wall.”

Mr Burgess went on to describe the severity of the blaze.

He added: “There was literally nothing salvageable in the premises at all.

“We discounted all other possible causes other than deliberate ignition in the area of the wheelie bins.”

The single storey building was the village’s only shop and acted as a grocery store, off-licence and post office.

The trial, expected to last two more days, continues

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'We tried to put fire out', claim boys accused of post office arson

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A teenager accused of arson told a jury how he and his co-defendant used magazines in an effort to put out a fire in a wheelie bin which spread to nearby buildings, gutting a post office.

The roof of the post office and general store, in Town Green Road, Orwell, caught alight, and two neighbouring homes also went up in flames in the incident on March 5.

The 14-year-old, who was 13 at the time of the incident, gave evidence at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday.

He and a 15-year-old boy both deny having “recklessly” destroyed or damaged the post office. But they admit to using toilet roll to set fire to one of the two large commercial wheelie bins near to the building.

They also admit causing damage to a green Nissan car and a red Mini Cooper.

In court yesterday, the 14-year-old told the jury how the pair walked around Orwell in the early hours, setting fire to a lamppost and a bush.

The 14-year-old said: “We wrapped toilet paper around the metal bit of the lamppost and set it alight.”

The boy described how later the pair put toilet paper in a wheelie bin next to the post office, and set it on fire using a lighter.

Georgina Gibbs, defending, asked: “What did you think was going to happen?”

He answered: “I thought the paper would burn. I know some plastic could have melted. I just thought the bin would melt.”

When asked about the post office, the boy said: “I didn’t think brick could set on fire.”

He said: “We got some magazines on the side in a little box and started hitting it to make it all go down. It went down into little red bits, into ashes and that.”

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth asked why they did this, and the boy replied: “To make it go out. We didn’t want it to come back up.”

Both boys are charged with having without lawful excuse destroyed by fire bins outside the village post office, the village post office, 31A Town Green Road and 33 Town Green Road in Orwell being
reckless as to whether the village post office would be destroyed of damaged.

The trial continues.