Norwich man detained for killing grandmother by setting fire to home

Vera Croghan was a former lecturer at the University of East Anglia

A student who killed his grandmother by setting fire to her house within days of dropping out of university has been sentenced.

Chanatorn Croghan started a fire at 89-year-old Vera Croghan's home on Unthank Road in Norwich on 11 December 2020, while he was staying there.

In February, he admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and arson at Norwich Crown Court.

Croghan was sentenced at the same court to an indefinite hospital order.

The 21-year-old, from Norwich, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, appeared to "spiral out of control" in his first term at Manchester University and left his course, prosecutor William Carter told the court.

The defendant turned up unannounced at his grandmother's house, where his father Richard Croghan was also living, at about 21:00 GMT on 9 December, the barrister said.

There was an incident between the defendant and his father, to which police were called, and Richard Croghan left the house to stay elsewhere.

The next morning a fire broke out and Mrs Croghan was found in an upstairs bedroom. She died from inhalation of fire fumes.

An investigation found a fire had been started in a cupboard under the stairs, with no accelerant used, and Richard Croghan's bank card was missing and later used, the court was told.

Croghan, of Northside, was arrested approaching his grandmother's house on the afternoon of the fire.

Mr Carter said: "This wasn't some meaningless act - a deep-seated hatred of his father; the fire was deliberately sited to minimise the chances of escape of those upstairs; it was necessary to move furniture to access the cupboard."

'Very troubled'

Jennifer Dempster KC, mitigating, said Croghan was "deeply mentally unwell at the time of this offence and also psychotic".

Judge Anthony Bate described Croghan as a "very troubled young man".

He imposed a restriction under Section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983, noting that generally a person subject to this "isn't discharged without approval of the Secretary of State for Justice".

Retired university lecturer Mrs Croghan was described by her family as a "much-loved mum of four and grandmother of 10".

She had been a lecturer at the University of East Anglia had lived in the house for 57 years, her family added.