Phil Towers

A man from Oxbridge has been sentenced today to four years in prison by Oxbridge Crown Court after being found guilty of arson, following a blaze that started in his own flat.

The jury heard how Thomas Beasley, 59, unemployed, of Mountain Street, was alleged to have started the fire deliberately after drinking a substantial amount of alcohol.

He was found guilty by a majority verdict of 10-2 after the jury heard how Station Officer Howard Keel, the officer in charge at Oxbridge Fire Station, gave evidence and said: “The fire had started in a pile of papers and curtain material in the middle of the living room.

“It looked like it had been deliberately gathered there, although the rest of the room was a real mess with rubbish and beer cans strewn across the floor.”

Mr Beasley pleaded not guilty to arson, claiming that the fire had been started accidentally by a faulty light, however this was dismissed by Mr Keel who claimed that the faulty light was too far from the combustible materials to have been the cause.

Mr Keel said: “It would be a thousand to one chance of it causing the fire.

“My view is that whether deliberately or accidentally, someone put a light to that pile of material.”

The verdict follows four previous convictions for Mr Beasley for arson, including two years in prison for setting fire to his previous flat.

Judge Guy Kearl QC said: “It is quite clear Mr Beasley that you are a danger to yourself and the wider public when you have been drinking.

“This time you nearly killed yourself – next time it could be other people.”

After the verdict was delivered, Mr Beasley vowed to appeal the conviction.