Two boys sentenced for post office blaze

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TWO teenage boys who started a fire which engulfed a village post office have been sentenced to strict supervision orders at Cambridge Crown Court.

The 14 and 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted setting fire to toilet roll in a large commercial wheelie bin near to the store in Town Green Road, Orwell on March 5.

The fire spread to the shop and neighbouring homes.

The boys pleaded guilty to recklessly setting fire to the bin and the criminal damage of two nearby cars.

They were, however, cleared of a more serious charge of endangering lives as a result of arson following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court.

They claimed they had no idea the post office’s bricks or tiles would catch fire and had tried to extinguish the flames.

Both boys have been sentenced to a two year referral order with two years’ supervision from the Youth Offending Team.

They have also been given a curfew from 8pm to 6am for three months.

Inspector Chris Savage of Cambridgeshire Police said: “This case serves to show how dangerous starting fires can be.

“What started as a bit of fun for these lads escalated into a very serious incident which destroyed a business and left both boys with criminal records.

“The consequences of their actions for the victims and wider community were considerable.

“Hopefully the orders passed by the court will help the boys see the consequences of their actions and change their behaviour in the future.”