Ollerton arsonist risked neighbour’s one-year-old baby when he torched kitchen

Michael Jarman was in a wheelchair when he poured flammable liquid over the work surfaces in his kitchen on Wellow Green and lit it on November 30, 2022.

Dawn Pritchard, prosecuting, said his neighbour had to pass his child through his adjoining kitchen window before escaping the same way.

Jarman, who was treated at hospital for smoke inhalation, was smiling as he watched the flames, Ms Pritchard told Nottingham Crown Court.

He later claimed he was trying to grow mushrooms but denied setting the fire.

His neighbour raised the alarm earlier that day after hearing bangs and shouts from Jarman’s bungalow at 2am and thought he was being burgled. Police officers found him asleep in an armchair with smashed crockery around him, when they checked him seven hours before the fire, and he said he was alright.

Everything in the property was ruined and a charred electric mobility scooter was found in the kitchen.

Lauren Manuel, mitigating, said Jarman, aged 31, suffered a mental breakdown in 2022 after his marriage ended and his work as a welder dried up because of the pandemic.

“He can't recall what happened” she said. “He is now in a better position than he has been for many years. He has real aspirations to return to employment.”

Jordan, now of Sherwood Avenue, Mansfield, admitted arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, when he appeared in court on November 10 last year.

On Wednesday Judge Michael Auty KC told him: “It is remarkable you didn’t kill yourself. You very nearly killed your neighbour or his partner or his child. You were severely mentally unwell.

“The difficulty is what future risk you may present. There is a risk of relapse.

"We have in Nottingham the most chilling reminder of what can happen when someone's mental health goes unmonitored.”

He imposed a three-year community order, with 30 rehabilitation days, and Jarman will be supervised by a mental health expert who can spot the warning signs if his condition deteriorates.

The judge warned Jarman that prison awaits him if he starts drinking or abusing drugs because they could aggravate his mental health issues.