Jail for Christmas Day arsonist
Main article content
An arsonist who set his flat alight on Christmas Day has been jailed.
Police officers and firefighters were called to the Whittlesey home of Eric Jordan, 55, on 25 December 2023, after fire and smoke were spotted coming from the first floor flat.
Jordan, who was inside the flat at the time, blocked the downstairs entrance with a leather armchair before starting the fire in the stairwell using a bottle of barbecue lighter fluid.
He suffered serious injuries after falling from the first-floor window and was later arrested on suspicion of arson after being treated by paramedics at the scene.
On Friday (5 June) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Jordan, of Scaldgate, Whittlesey, Peterborough, was jailed for one year and four months after admitting to arson.
DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said: “Not only could the consequences of Jordan’s actions have been fatal, but he also caused around £50,000 of damage to the flat he was renting at the time.
“A family of four, who were trying to enjoy their Christmas morning, also had to be evacuated from their nearby home for their own safety.
“The fire was deliberate and put himself, as well as his neighbours, in serious danger, so I am pleased he is now behind bars for the damage and distress he caused.”