A 66-year-old army veteran has said he suffered flashbacks from a petrol bomb attack during his service in Northern Ireland after his neighbour set his gazebo alight while he was relaxing in a hot tub.
Dennis Coles was in his hot tub in Stockton-on-Tees on the evening of 11 May when his neighbour, Wayne Loughman, set the gazebo on fire just feet away. Mr Coles said he was 'petrified' and feared he might not have survived had the fire reached his shed.
Loughman, 52, pleaded guilty to arson at Teesside Crown Court, claiming he was disturbed by noise from the hot tub. However, Mr Coles disputed this, stating he was enjoying the bubbles alone and that he and his wife usually used the tub quietly on weekday summer evenings.
Mr Coles's wife, Susan Hilson-Greener, 66, reviewed CCTV footage and confronted Loughman, but he refused to discuss it, saying 'Shhh, my missis is in bed.' The couple, who have lived next to Loughman for 25 years, said he had a history of targeting them, including pouring excrement on their car and throwing a Chinese takeaway into their garden.
Judge Jonathan Carroll handed Loughman a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work, a £500 fine in compensation, and a five-year restraining order. The judge said Loughman should have dealt with the situation more diplomatically. Mr Coles believes the sentence was too lenient, stating he would have preferred six years.
