PARANOID schizophrenic Adrian Davis broke bones in his foot and ankle after jumping out of a window to escape a fire he had started.
Adrian Davis used a cigarette lighter to set fire to curtains in his upstairs flat at Penton Walk, Blurton, on November 5 last year.
Prosecutor Paul Spratt said: "He had been up most of the night and had taken some amphetamine. He said he had been hearing voices, which was a precursor to his actions.
"Once he set fire to the curtains he found he was unable to get out. It went up quicker than he anticipated and he could not find his key so he jumped out of the first-floor window."
The court was told 26-year-old Davis was in hospital for six days with the broken bones. A man in the flat below was asleep in bed and was awoken by banging and a beeping sound similar to a smoke alarm.
He was able to get out of his flat and saw Davis who admitted he had started the blaze.
The fire did not spread to any other property but �8,000 damage was caused to Davis's Stoke-on-Trent City Council-owned flat.
The defendant was arrested at the scene. After initially being remanded in custody he was later transferred to the Hatherton Centre, in Stafford.
The court was told a few weeks earlier, on October 21, Davis went into a housing office in Blurton with a knife.
Mr Spratt said the defendant did not threaten any staff with the knife and when police arrived he put it on a desk.
"But he assumed an aggressive stance to the officer who struck him and took him to the ground," added Mr Spratt.
The knife and some amphetamines were taken from the defendant.
Davis pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, possession of a knife and possession of amphetamines and was sentenced to a hospital and restriction order.
The court heard from Davis's consultant at the Hatherton Centre, Dr Indraneal Ray, who said he considers the defendant suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
He said Davis has received treatment for paranoid delusions and is receiving ongoing treatment for hallucinations.
Dr Ray said: "A restriction order would be an appropriate method and allow us to monitor and supervise him in the community."
Peter McCartney, mitigating, said Davis recognises he has mental health problems but has been settled and co-operative while at the Hatherton Centre.
Mr McCartney said: "He has demonstrated remorse about the potential consequences of his actions. He does not seek to argue against a hospital order or restriction order."
Judge Granville Styler told the defendant: "What happened could have been very dangerous and could have resulted in the death of a person in the flat next to you.
"I take the view a restriction order is required because of the seriousness of the offence and the potential risk of you committing another serious offence in the future."
 |  |
Conservatives Students Belarus Psychology Nick Barmby Consumer affairs
No comments:
Post a Comment