Scunthorpe arsonist jailed over 'nasty, targeted attack'
A man who set fire to a bottle and launched it through a window of a property in an attempt to endanger the occupants has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison after appearing at Grimsby Crown Court.
Sam Lawson, 38-years-old, of Canterbury Close in Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to arson with intent at an earlier court hearing.
At around 8.30pm on Sunday 8 September, Lawson targeted the home address of a woman known to him armed with a glass bottle and flammable liquid.
He set the bottle alight and launched it at an open window of the property, setting fire to the roof before fleeing the scene on foot.
Lawson was arrested at his home address three hours later on suspicion of arson with intent and harassment.
Leading the investigation, Police Constable Jess Wood, from the Humberside Police Domestic Abuse Safeguarding and Investigation Team, said: “This was a nasty, targeted attack on a woman and her children. Lawson knowingly went to that address with the intent to cause serious harm to those inside the property, but thankfully, no one was injured as a result of his reckless actions.
“By the time officers attended Lawson’s address, he had put the clothes he was wearing, and could be identified in, into the washing machine in an effort to cover his tracks. Officers also discovered six butane gas cannisters and a knuckleduster at his address.
“The value of the damage caused to the house is nothing compared to the fear that the woman and her children must have felt when they realised their house was on fire.
“I am reassured that Lawson is now behind bars, and I hope this sentencing is a stark warning to anyone else considering committing such crimes.”