Swindon man handed jail sentence for several offences including arson
Craig Day was sentenced to nearly four years in prison earlier this month
Last updated 27th May 2025
A man from Swindon has been given a jail sentence after he committed a number of different offences following a brawl last November.
Craig Day, 36, pleaded guilty to a number of charges against him - including arson, criminal damage and threatening a person with an offensive weapon or corrosive substance.
Day, from Liden Drive in Swindon was given a prison sentence of three years and nine months at Swindon Crown Court on May 8th following the hearing.
During the hearing, the court heard how on November 24th, 2024, there had been an incident on Caulfield Road between two neighbours - including Day himself.
According to testimony, Day had threatened the victim with a knife whilst wielding the weapon before lunging at the man.
While the knife had missed him, the man was then chased into his bedroom, before Day ran in to squirt lighter fluid on the bedroom door before setting it alight.
The incident was caught on CCTV and reported to police, who arrived, arrested and detained Day a short time later.
On top of his jail sentence, Day was also ordered to pay £228 worth of a surcharge following the incident.
Speaking on the verdict, PC Charley Wilmott from Wiltshire Police said: "I am very pleased to see that Day has been held accountable for his actions.
"This was a very serious incident in which Day could have seriously or fatally injured the victim. The confrontation was reported to the housing association, and it was captured on CCTV. We can see that Day's victim retreated from him before he tried to stab him.
"Day can be seen to pour lighter fluid on the stairs and continue to try to create a fire. Luckily the carpets were flame repellent.
"This sentence will give him plenty of time to consider what he did and how the outcome could have been far worse for everyone concerned.
“His actions were completely reckless and could have resulted in an extremely tragic outcome."