Mother's Heroic Dash into Burning Home
A courageous mother ran into her blazing home in Liverpool to save her teenage son and family pets after a vengeful arson attack. Carl Dawe, 52, set fire to a caravan in a drunken rage, causing flames to engulf three houses and a car in the early hours of September 7.
The court heard how Jacqueline Spencer, who was having an affair with Dawe, suffered first and second-degree burns to her face, neck, and hand, injuries she fears will leave her permanently scarred. Despite her injuries, she rushed back into the inferno on Clifton Road East in Tuebrook to ensure the safety of her 14-year-old son and their pets, including cats and bearded dragons.
Jealous Rage Sparks 'Ferocious' Blaze
Liverpool Crown Court was told the fire started after an argument between Dawe and Ms Spencer. The dispute began over a fridge freezer, but the prosecution stated the root cause was Dawe's jealousy of Ms Spencer's friendship with her neighbour, Alison Hunt.
After being denied entry to a gathering at Ms Hunt's home, a drunken Dawe smashed the windows of her caravan, which was parked outside. He later returned shortly after 3:30 am and used a cigarette lighter to set the caravan's curtains ablaze.
The fire quickly became "pretty ferocious," causing a gas canister inside the caravan to explode. The flames then spread to the front door and windows of Ms Spencer's home and damaged two neighbouring properties.
Lasting Trauma and Four-and-a-Half Year Sentence
In victim impact statements, both Ms Spencer and Ms Hunt described the profound and lasting trauma caused by Dawe's actions.
"I can't come to terms with the disregard he had for me and my family. It has left me heartbroken," Ms Spencer said, adding that she now finds it a "huge challenge" to leave her house and has become "terrified of the wide world."
Ms Hunt revealed that her eight-year-old son had his "youthful spirit taken away" and now refuses to do anything by himself.
Dawe, of Gloucester Road North, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and four counts of criminal damage. Defence lawyer Carmel Wilde described the event as a "moment of madness in a meltdown" in his mental health, for which he was "mortified."
However, Judge Neil Flewitt KC emphasised the wide-ranging consequences, stating, "What you did had wide ranging and long lasting consequences. They could have been much worse." He sentenced Dawe to four-and-a-half years in prison.
