A man drove more than 100 miles from Humberside to Liverpool with a boot full of fireworks before firing a lit rocket through the letterbox of a supported housing scheme. Eifion Evans, a former resident, carried out the attack in revenge for perceived neglect by mental health workers.
Several vulnerable service users were asleep upstairs in the early hours, and the incident resulted in only minor damage to the building. A judge told the arsonist as he was locked up: "You knew the possible consequences, had a fire taken hold. You knew full well the dangers that you were exposing the residents to, but, nevertheless, you took those actions."
Attack on Anfield Road accommodation
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that Evans, also known as Zack Hunter, had previously been a resident of Waythrough, a charity-run supported accommodation on Anfield Road for those with mental health issues, but was living in the Humberside area by January 14 last year. On that date, the 42-year-old was said to have driven from East Yorkshire in possession of a stash of fireworks before arriving at his former abode at around 3am.
Derek Jones, prosecuting, described how some occupants were asleep in their rooms upstairs when Evans lit a small rocket before placing it through the letterbox. This set off fire alarms in the property, but the firework "burned itself out relatively quickly", causing "surprisingly little damage", limited to "scorching" to walls in the hallway.
Confession and arrest
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service did attend the scene but were not required to take any action. Evans, now of Cranbrook Road in South London, called Merseyside Police the following day to confess to his crime and was advised to hand himself in to a police station as a result.
Mr Jones said of similar admissions made to a mental health worker on January 16 last year: "He told her he had planned it due to anger about the way he had been treated there. That is a theme with this defendant and people who have treated him in the past, principally on Merseyside. He appears to be angry with what happened to him in the past."
This previously led to Evans, who was found with a firework in his bedroom and seven more in the boot of his car when he was eventually arrested on January 21, being convicted of harassment after issuing threats against a health worker. Mr Jones added: "You could classify it as a form of revenge, bearing in mind the background."
'Cycle of mistrust' over 'persecutory beliefs'
Evans' criminal record shows a total of eight earlier convictions for 12 offences, also including affray. With Judge Garrett Byrne having stated that the defendant had shown "reservations to engage due to a mistrust in mental health services", Carmel Wilde, defending, told the court: "Unless that conundrum is targeted and tackled with the right intervention, this cycle of mistrust is going to continue.
"The first thing he said to me is, 'I have been asking for help all my life'. He is clearly very unwell and not receiving the treatment that he needs to address what is a very serious psychiatric illness.
"If the public are to be protected against any future risk or harm, a prison sentence is not going to address that risk. The proof would be in the pudding, if your honour were to consider suspending such a sentence. He will simply be languishing in custody with the same persecutory beliefs that he has now. Custody is simply not the place for this defendant, who has a lot of serious mental health illnesses."
'You knew perfectly well what you were doing'
Evans admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was seen with his face in his hands in the dock and appeared to be in tears before placing a black Athletics baseball cap on his head as he was led to the cells, having been jailed for 20 months.
Sentencing, Judge Byrne said: "At three o'clock in the morning, the residents at the Waythrough building in Liverpool, a supported charitable residence for people with mental health problems, were asleep. You travelled all the way from Humberside in a car with fireworks in the boot. You put a lit firework through the letterbox.
"You knew perfectly well what you were doing. You knew the possible consequences, had a fire taken hold. You knew full well the dangers that you were exposing the residents to, but, nevertheless, you took those actions.
"Your culpability was moderately reduced because of your mental health conditions, but not to a significant extent. There is no compelling mitigation. It is very unlikely that you would engage with healthcare professionals.
"While you remain in the community, you remain a risk of causing serious harm to the public. In my view, due to the seriousness of the offending, only an immediate term of imprisonment can be justified."
