Nottingham man jailed for arson attack as family slept

Body-worn camera footage showed Grant being taken into custody

A man who set fire to a family home as a mother and her sons slept inside has been jailed.

Police said Andrew Grant, 61, ignited the gold bow decoration on the front of the property on New Year's Day.

The fire caused significant damage to the front door of the semi-detached house in Nottingham but did not spread and extinguished itself.

Grant pleaded guilty to two counts of arson at Nottingham Crown Court and was jailed for four years.

Nottinghamshire Police said the mother and her two sons were asleep in the home in Rivergreen, Clifton, when the fire was started at about 04:00 GMT.

An investigation found Grant was an acquaintance of someone who disliked a man staying with the family.

Three hours later, Grant - who had been drinking heavily - rang 999, confessed to his actions and was subsequently arrested.

Incriminating messages were found on Grant's phone, police said

However, he then told officers during his first interview he spotted the fire but did not start it.

Detectives examined his phone and found multiple messages related to the attack, including "I'll set fire to them", "I'll scare him" and "leave it to me".

Insp Stephen Dalby said: "This was an extremely reckless crime and it was only through good fortune that no-one was injured or worse."

"Grant's actions were particularly deplorable as he lives only a mile away from where a mother and two children were killed in an arson attack on their home, just six weeks prior to this incident.

"Those tragic murders attracted global media coverage and provided a stark reminder about the potential consequences of setting fire to people's homes.

"Despite this, Grant still decided to commit arson and it beggars belief that he could be so reckless."

Grant admitted arson with intent to endanger life and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

During sentencing on Friday, he was also given a restraining order and told to pay a victim surcharge of £228.