Man jailed for 'reckless' tower block arson

A man has been jailed for eight years after deliberately starting a fire in the stairwell of a residential tower block.

Israel Baber set a sofa on fire at Eccleston House in Barton Hill, Bristol, shortly after 06:00 BST on 20 October 2022.

The 37-year-old, who lived in the block, denied the offence, claiming he was in his flat at the time. However, he was captured on CCTV moving around the building.

Det Ch Insp Laura Miller, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Baber's actions were hugely dangerous, and make no mistake they could have led to a much worse outcome on another day."

Baber was convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on 14 March.

Speaking during sentencing at the same court on Monday, His Honour Judge James Patrick said Baber "endangered his neighbours and friends, resulting in a major incident".

Baber's sentence was increased due to aggravating factors and he will serve a minimum of two-thirds of it in custody.

Det Ch Insp Miller told the BBC that one of the residents had been trying to carry the sofa up to their flat.

However, they had had trouble moving it, so had to leave it in the stairwell overnight, which prompted "some argument".

"We knew that whoever set fire to the sofa would have had some awareness that the sofa had been in position," she said.

The fire quickly spread around the building and all residents had to be evacuated. One person had to be rescued by the fire service, police said.

Nobody was seriously injured, but six people needed treatment for smoke inhalation.

A number of residents had to move out and be re-housed by Bristol City Council, with the cost of the damage estimated to be more than £600,000.

Det Ch Insp Miller said: "Considering the extent of the fire, some of the residents were very, very lucky to have survived.

"The design of the building is such that residents were able to safely exit down a different staircase, but this should not downplay the seriousness of what Baber did.

"The fire understandably caused residents a lot of alarm and Baber has refused at any stage to take accountability for his reckless actions.

"We're really grateful to every single resident who gave us information, who engaged with us, but also, we've had their full support in investigating this terrible crime," she added.

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