Grandfather who set fire to home with three and five-year-olds inside jailed
A GRANDFATHER who set fire to his home while five relatives including two toddlers were still inside has been jailed today.
Brian Pickering, 64, suffered burns after starting the blaze while his three-year-old and five-year-old grandchildren were staying with him.
Luckily, his five relatives escaped unharmed.
Pickering started two fires in his bedroom after his wife Margaret said she was going on holiday without him.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Pickering had said to his partner after starting the blazes: "I told you years ago that I would never let you leave me".
Pickering, from Middlesbrough, was jailed for six years and three months after pleading guilty to arson being reckless whether lives were endangered.
I accept you felt that you were in a desperate state, but that does not excuse or justify the measures that were taken
Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC told Pickering: "You started fires being reckless whether the lives of five individuals who were close to your were endangered.
"You set about setting fire to the house and there were two seats of fire.
"I accept that at the time you did that you were suffering from a mental illness in the sense that you were suffering from depression.
"You full well knew that that you were doing. I accept you felt that you were in a desperate state, but that does not excuse or justify the measures that were taken.
"It is only by good chance that the lives of those five individuals were saved. Those lives could well have been lost as a result of your actions."
Pickering's wife, who struggled with her husband's behaviour after he quit his job, later made a 26-page statement saying he would never harm his grandchildren.
She believed the fires last September 14 were an attempt by Pickering to harm himself that went wrong.
Graham Silvester, defending, also claimed it was a half-hearted suicide attempt and Pickering had slashed his arm.
Pickering's son Brian junior and his partner Donna Whithead were in bed in the next room when the blaze erupted.
Pickering's wife was downstairs with their two grandchildren when she heard a series of bangs upstairs and went to investigate.
She found Pickering's bedroom was filling with smoke and they ran downstairs to get the children out of the semi-detached house.
Pickering jumped out of his bedroom window and had flesh burns to his arms. An ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital.
Mr Silvester said the family were traumatised by the incident and his sons had visited him in prison while he was on remand.
He added they were in the public gallery supporting him.
Mr Silvester said: "There was no plan for this.
"He knows that he has got to spend a period of time in custody. He is ashamed of it."