Lydney arsonist sentenced over £45k damage to vintage train

Paul Irving admitting setting a vintage train carriage on fire

A man who set fire to a vintage train carriage, causing £45,000 worth of damage, has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Paul Irving, 26, of Steel Avenue, Lydney, pleaded guilty to arson at Gloucester Crown Court.

The court heard that emergency services were called to a fire at the Dean Forest Railway's station in Lydney on 24 March 2020.

Irving was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The railway carriage which Irving set alight was used on a heritage line and had been awaiting restoration.

It was only a short distance from the main rail network and close to nine other carriages.

The damage is estimated to have cost Dean Forest Railway Society £45,000 to repair

When emergency services arrived smoke was billowing across the main rail network, causing train drivers to slow down, which led to delays, said prosecutor Ieuan Callaghan.

He added: "Police officers searching the site found that a digger had been tampered with and three people, two men and a woman, were hiding under a canopy.

"All three occupants were arrested and taken into custody. No further action has been taken against the other two people."

In a statement to police, Irving explained that he had found a can of red diesel and poured it over the carriage.

He had used his own lighter to set it alight, he said.

Irving told police that within minutes of the fire starting the emergency services were on the scene and he hid

He claimed that he had been encouraged to commit arson by the man who was with him.

'No reason or explanation'

Alan Dickinson, chairman of Dean Forest Railway, told the court that the cost of repairing the damage was £45,000.

Defence lawyer Simon Kitchen said Irving was a vulnerable man who has mental health issues.

"Irving is a man who is easily led and it was somebody else's suggestion that the carriage was set on fire," said Mr Kitchen.

He added: "There is no valid reason or explanation as to why he carried out the arson. But he does suffer from anxiety, paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder."

Judge Ian Lawrie ordered Irving to attend 30 programme sessions and undertake 200 hours of unpaid work.

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