A man who admitted starting a fire causing significant damage to a Chippenham flat has been jailed for four years.
James Parker, 38, originally of Queens Square, Chippenham, had pleaded guilty to charges of arson: being reckless as to whether life was endangered and criminal damage.
Parker, who was sentenced yesterday at Swindon Crown Court, was arrested after the fire he deliberately started tore through an upstairs flat at Queens Square, Chippenham, on 8 August.
DC Hannah Agate, Wiltshire Police CID, welcomed the sentence.
“Parker deliberately started a fire in a block of six flats,” she said. “Apart from the extensive damage he caused, there was a real chance that someone could have been seriously hurt or killed.
“The sentence, which was reduced due to an early guilty plea and his mental health, reflects the seriousness of this incident and thankfully no one was hurt. Wiltshire Police will always robustly pursue those individuals who deliberately put our community in danger.”
