'Bored' arsonist who terrified neighbours jailed
Northumbria PoliceAn arsonist who terrified his neighbours when he set fire to his flat because he said he was "bored" has been jailed for almost two years.
A woman living next door to Mark Dixon was awoken by the sound of his smoke alarm and saw smoke pouring from his flat, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
The blaze failed to catch hold but judge Penelope Moreland said it "must have been very, very frightening" for those living nearby.
Dixon, 56, was jailed for 22 months after admitting reckless arson endangering life and a month for criminal damage, having smeared excrement on the walls of his police cell.
Dixon, of Benson Road in Newcastle, told police he tried to set his flat on fire on the night of 10 July 2024 because he was "bored", prosecutor Ellen Wright said.
A neighbour fled her home and called 999 after hearing the smoke alarm and seeing smoke coming from Dixon's flat, Ms Wright said.
'Frankly disgusting' behaviour
The only damage caused was to toilet roll he had strewn around the flat in an attempt to set his home alight, the court heard.
Judge Moreland said Dixon had a "terrible" criminal record, having 70 convictions for 164 offences, including a previous act of arson.
She praised Dixon's neighbour for her response, adding: "It must have been very, very frightening to live in terraced house and know the person next to you set a fire."
The judge said Dixon's behaviour at Forth Banks police station was "frankly disgusting", adding someone had had to clean up after him.