Two men who travelled from Dundee to South Wales to petrol bomb three homes after being offered £20,000 have been jailed for nine years and nine months each. Judge Vanessa Francis said that although no one was injured, the attacks put several lives in "immediate jeopardy."
Adam Taylor-Morris, 19, and Yasin Hussain, 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of committing arson with intent to endanger life and were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, November 2.
Attacks on three homes
The court heard that from May 31 into the early hours of June 1, the pair were driven from Dundee, Scotland, to South Wales, for the sole reason of petrol bombing homes. On June 1, Janice Morgan, her husband, and grandson had all been asleep at their home on Porcher Avenue, Glyncoch, Pontypridd. At around 4am Ms Morgan's husband asked if she had heard a bang. They went downstairs to find their front window badly damaged and could smell petrol. A small fire had been set on the grass outside the front of their home, and they called 999.
In a victim personal statement summarised by Ffion Tomos, prosecuting, the court heard that Ms Morgan has had to visit her doctor due to extreme anxiety since the attack, is scared to leave her home, and is concerned about it being targeted again.
Hussain and Taylor-Morris then used a taxi to travel to Caerphilly. The pair visited a petrol station on Nantgarw Road, filled a fuel container with petrol, and grabbed two glass milk bottles. At around 8.15am, David Yates was at his home on Wallace Drive, Caerphilly, getting ready for work when he heard a loud bang followed by glass smashing. He saw two people running away. They had thrown a brick through his window and then tried to throw milk bottles with petrol inside through the hole. There was significant damage to the front window and burning to the window frame. Mr Yates found a milk bottle next to the window with a small flame inside, which he was able to extinguish.
Ms Tomos explained that Mr Yates had only moved to the address in April and would often have his young daughter to stay. Following the attack, he could not think of any reason why anyone would want to target his home.
Devastating impact on victims
The pair then took another taxi to Pearson Crescent, in Glyncoch, Pontypridd, where they threw another petrol bomb at a third property. This time it successfully ignited the living room of Barbara Young, who had lived in the home for 46 years. Ms Young was upstairs when she heard her smoke alarm go off and saw the pair running away. She could smell the smoke, and when she got downstairs she saw her living room engulfed by flames. Ms Young grabbed her dog and they safely left the property.
Ms Tomos said Ms Young sustained extreme damage to her property, with the whole of the downstairs and upstairs damaged by smoke. She added that it was "extremely fortunate" that no one had been seriously injured or killed.
In Ms Young's victim impact statement, she said she had lost sentimental items, including her husband's ashes and photos of him and their wedding, which could not be replaced. "Everyday feels like a day of grieving because everything sentimental was destroyed in the fire," she added. "I was left with nothing but the pyjamas I was wearing. I was forced to stand and watch as my home was destroyed. I could've died that day. They didn't just destroy my home but my life. I don't believe I will ever fully recover from what they have done."
Arrest and sentencing
After they left the third property, Taylor-Morris made a call in the taxi and said: "We have just done it, I will send you a video now." The pair then went to Cardiff, where they got a train back up north. They were arrested 10 days later. During police interviews, Hussain told officers he had never been to Wales, and Taylor-Morris said that if he was not in custody he would be in Glasgow making petrol bombs.
The court heard that messages on their phones showed it had been agreed that they would get £20,000 if they successfully carried out the attacks. Ms Tomos said it was decided that the payment would be made pro-rata depending on how successfully they had completed the tasks. She said those targeted were in no way linked to drug supply or any criminality in the South Wales area, but said their family members may be.
Hussain, of no fixed abode, had three previous convictions for seven offences. Taylor-Morris, of no fixed abode, had three previous convictions for 10 offences. In mitigation, Kirsten Murphy, representing Taylor-Morris, said her client had led a "very sad and troubled" life, explaining that his father died in a motorbike accident, his mother from a drug overdose, and his brother was then murdered. She said he has been left to "fend for himself" for most of his life and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a violent attack involving a hammer and a machete.
Kevin Seal, representing Hussain, said his client had been 18 at the time of the attacks and had shown genuine remorse. He said Hussain had been diagnosed with autism and had been bullied because of this. Since Hussain was 12, Mr Seal said, he had been manipulated by others and was unable to resist their influence. Mr Seal added that Hussain had been offered a large amount of money to carry out the petrol bombings.
Judge Francis said she had decided their offences did not justify a life sentence, but said that in each of the attacks lives were placed in "immediate jeopardy." She added they were not spontaneous or accidental attacks. She continued: "These were extremely serious offences involving a planned journey for the purpose of carrying out three separate attacks on three separate occupied family homes during the early hours and early morning on the same day. Your reasons were not revenge even if the people saying they would pay you were motivated by that intention."
Hussain and Taylor-Morris were both sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison. Detective Constable Connor Michael said: "These were deliberate and dangerous arson attacks which could've had devastating consequences, including serious injury or loss of life. The sentences handed down reflect the severity of the offenders' actions, and we hope they serve as a warning that such reckless behaviour will not be tolerated. We would also like to thank Police Scotland and Gwent Police for their assistance throughout the investigation."
