‘Obsessed’ man set fireplace to own residence after being ignored by fireplace brigade 80 occasions

James Brown, 26, was described as having a ‘fascination’ and ‘obsession’ with the fire service, which he wanted to be part of, rather than fires, in a hearing of Newcastle Crown Court

A man who is obsessed with the fire service and admitted to sparking two blazes in his own home has been spared jail. The fire brigade were sent to James Brown’s home twice in one night after he rang them reporting fire in his fuse box.

Newcastle Crown Court heard it was the culmination of 80 calls to the service the 26-year-old had made in a year. He was described as having a “fascination” and “obsession” with the fire service, rather than fires, and said in an ideal world he would like to be firefighter.

Now he has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting two counts of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. It was around 8.15pm on September 9 2023 that the fire brigade were called by Brown reporting there was a fire at his then-home on Eleventh Avenue, Ashington, Northumberland, reports the Chronicle.

He said sparks were coming from the electricity meter and had ignited bedding in the cupboard. Firefighters attended, put out a small fire, disconnected the electricity supply and left. There was heat and smoke damage to the cupboard.

Around 90 minutes later, Brown made a similar call, reporting another fire in the same location. A fire crew attended once more and found bedding on fire. Brown gave the same explanation as the first time, however there was no electricity supply at that point so his account could not be true and fire investigators believed the fire had been started deliberately.

The court heard Brown was filming the attendance of the fire service. Joe Hedworth, prosecuting, said: “The police concluded the fire had been deliberately started.

“The defendant was arrested and seemed quite happy about his arrest. He seemed fascinated about the presence of the fire and police at his property.”

The court heard the fire damage was, fortunately, very limited, with a burnt cable going into the electricity meter, burnt bed linen and burning to a shelf.

Brown of Woodhorn Drive, Stakeford, Northumberland, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was sentenced to eight months suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work

Judge Robert Adams told him: “You have said, in an ideal world, you would be a firefighter and you have a long-standing interest in the fire service. It’s clearly an obsession.”

The judge said Brown has contacted the fire service 80 times in the past 12 months and added: “Your primary interest seems to be contacting the fire service rather than setting fires.”

However Judge Adams warned him: “If you live in a terraced house and start setting fires there’s a real risk you are going to potentially kill somebody.

“You waste the resources of the fire brigade, which could be used for more important matters where lives are in danger. I hope you have learned a lesson.”

Penny Hall, defending, said Brown has not made any calls to the fire service since the offences and is seeking help. She added: “He is extremely remorseful and fully appreciates and is struggling to come to terms with the fact had the fire taken, it could have caused real risk and he told me people could have been killed.”

The court heard Brown has recently been diagnosed with autism. He previously worked as an aircraft cleaner but is currently looking for work.

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