Paul Pemberton, high on monkey dust, started a fire and barricaded himself. Avoids jail with suspended sentence.
The property manager got an alarm notification on August 5th last year. So, he went to check on the Foley Street house and smelled smoke when he got there.
Paul had blocked the door. The agent saw blood inside the room, and a knife stuck out from Paul’s trousers. He then called the police right away.
The prosecutor spoke about that day in court. Paul was on drugs and held a petrol bottle. He also had a lighter in his hand and was burned and bleeding. Paul had also broken a bedroom window, with the repair cost being about £1,000, and he left a full petrol can in the bathroom.
Paul said he lit the mattress to sound the alarm, which would make people leave. He carried the knife for self-defense, as he’d been assaulted a few days before.
Paul has a long criminal record and admitted that he committed arson. His lawyer spoke about Paul’s drug problem, saying Paul used monkey dust. The lawyer said Paul felt paranoid and thought his attacker would come back.
He blocked the door with his headboard and reacted out of fear, and the broken glass happened because he was scared. There was only the mattress fire, and Paul quickly put the fire out himself.
Paul takes full responsibility and shows regret for what he did. He blames his actions on his drug habit and wants a better life without drugs.
The judge said Paul acted irrationally that day. He was trying to stay clean before an assault, which led to a relapse and bad decisions, impacting his reality. The judge said setting the fire was reckless and risked harm to others. He acted with extreme negligence, which carries severe consequences.
Paul got a two-year suspended sentence. He must do rehab and unpaid work, with 50 days of activities plus 200 hours of work.