TWO men who poured petrol through a window before setting a flat ablaze in Wigan have been jailed.
In the early hours of March 21, 2018, police were called to Ormskirk Road in Pemberton to the sight of towering flames.
As firefighters tackled the inferno that encompassed the entire flat, their suspicions about how the blaze started turned increasingly towards third party involvement.
Police were subsequently able to present evidence in court that proved Teejay Logsdon, 29, of Whitworth Street, Manchester and Bradley Finch, 20, of Hampden Place, Wigan were the people the occupants of the flat had heard kicking at the rear door, attempting to gain entry.
Unsuccessful, the pair went to the nearby petrol station where Finch was caught on CCTV filling up a canister.
Bradley Finch at the petrol station
After what was thought to be a dispute with the occupants of the flat, arsonists Logsdon and Finch poured the fuel over the rear door and through a window before setting it alight and running away.
Fortunately, no-one was injured.
The very same canister seen in the hands of Finch was found once the flames were put out but despite that and other forensic evidence linking them both to the crime, they denied the offence.
The damage that was caused in the flat
When officers searched Logsdon's mobile phone as part of their routine enquiries, they also found he was involved in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
Today, Tuesday, after a three-week trial at Bolton Crown Court, they were both jailed for arson being reckless to whether life would be endangered.
Detective Constable Pete Jackson of GMP’s Wigan District, said: “By the damage that these two individuals caused, it’s clear they had no care for anyone they may have harmed in committing the crime.
“This was not a crime of passion. It required thought, intent and planning. Something which, with the mounting evidence against them, they had no room to deny.
“With the flat being above a commercial property and close by to other residential properties, the outcome of this could have been absolutely devastating but thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely.”
Logsdon also pleaded guilty to theft, relating to offences he committed while wanted by police, and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
He was found guilty of arson being reckless whether life was endangered.
Logsdon was sentenced for a total of 15 years in total.
Bradley Finch was found guilty of arson being reckless to whether life was endangered and sentenced to seven years.
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