Cottage 'gutted' in vandal arson attack; Fire strikes as renovation bid almost finished.Byline: Rob Pattinson AWEALTHY landlord plagued by intruders has had a cottage on his estate burned out in an arson arson, at common law, the malicious and willful burning of the house of another. Originally, it was an offense against the security of habitation rather than against property rights. attack. David Crawford David Crawford may refer to:
emery Granular rock consisting of a mixture of the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide, Al2O3) and iron oxides such as magnetite (Fe3O4) or hematite (Fe2O3). was stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. to discover vandals had torched the gardener's cottage in the grounds of his home in Ryton, Gateshead, causing tens of thousands of pounds damage. The 50-year-old and his wife had been close to completing a pain-staking renovation of the building - at the heart of a conservation area - when vandals struck just after 8pm on Saturday. Despite being in at the time of the attack, the local businessman had no idea his beloved restoration project was being burned to a cinder cin·der n. 1. a. A burned or partly burned substance, such as coal, that is not reduced to ashes but is incapable of further combustion. b. A partly charred substance that can burn further but without flame. . Initial estimates have put the cost of repairing the damage at pounds 25,000. Now David has revealed the blaze was part of a wider problem of trespassers and "chancers" breaking into his grounds on a regular basis The father-of-two says he has caught intruders in his garden on more than one occasion, armed with tools, including crowbars and hammers. He said: "It is terrible. When I found out I just thought all our work had gone in vain. Our beautiful windows and new roof had gone up in smoke. "We just want to get it secure now. The damage is extensive - it's absolutely gutted. Every piece of wood has gone. Nothing is left, not the doors, windows or roof. "I was at home when the fire happened. I'd only just walked around the garden a couple of hours earlier. As part of that walk I checked the security. "It's far enough away from the house so, although I was in when it happened, I didn't know anything about it. The fire officers told me it must have been burning for about two hours. "We'd been restoring the cottage. It's had a new roof, new floors and staircase and so on. But soon as we finish, kids break in and get in again. "Every time there's a school holiday we're plagued by intruders. We've caught people in the grounds before with crowbars, hammers, tools, all sorts. It's not the same people - it's just wave after wave of teenagers. "We actually caught people in the grounds later, after the fire. I wondered if they'd come looting." Police have reassured re·as·sure tr.v. re·as·sured, re·as·sur·ing, re·as·sures 1. To restore confidence to. 2. To assure again. 3. To reinsure. residents who believe the attack could be connected to two male youths spotted in the area. Neighbourhood inspector Michael Robson said: "The youths spotted in the area may have been on bikes. We would ask anyone who noticed anyone matching this description in Ryton around the time of the fire to contact us." Police are also looking into a second fire, started in the area on the same night, although they do not believe the incidents are linked. The arson attack burned down a green keeper's shed at Tyneside Golf Club, just after 1.40am on Sunday. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0345 604-3043 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion