A MAN who caused a “terrifying” fire below a Ledbury hotel has been jailed for a string of arson attacks.
Shane Bird will spend at least four years in prison after setting alight a car beneath the Talbot Hotel on March 28 last year.
Worcester Crown Court was told that Andy and Maria Ward and their eight guests were lucky to survive the early morning fire.
The frightened party heard explosions as they backtracked through the building after the fire blocked their first escape route.
Bird, of Aston Close, Ledbury, was sentenced after admitting causing arson with intent.
The 23-year-old also pleaded guilty to three further counts of arson causing recklessness in Bye Street and Harling Court.
Charles Hardy, prosecuting, said Bird started the fire at about 1am by setting light to a parked car in the hotel’s covered driveway.
Mr Hardy said guests were alerted when Mr Ward smelled something burning and looked out of his window.
Mr Hardy said: “He looked out and saw the glare of the fire reflected in an opposite window. He immediately woke up his wife and got the residents out and through the fire exit down the stairs into the courtyard.
“They saw two burning cars blocking their exit, so they had to go back. One of the cars exploded and as they filed through the hotel, they heard more explosions. Mr Ward was terrified.”
Mr Hardy said the fire gutted the building, causing £400,000 damage and taking six hours to extinguish.
Bird then used his lighter on the letterbox of estate agent Nicholas Craddock, but it failed and did not threaten the upstairs tenants.
Mr Hardy said the final two incidents were at Harling Court, a sheltered accommodation complex for elderly people. Bird was seen on CCTV attempting to light garden furniture outside two ground floor flats, including one occupied by an 85-year-old woman who needed a frame to walk.
Bird pleaded guilty in June but sentencing was delayed because of psychiatric reports.
Samantha Powis, for Bird, blamed the acts on poor coping skills, psychological problems, depression and alcohol.
Miss Powis said: “There is no suggesting of him targeting anyone. They were caused by a lighter for reasons we don’t know.”
Recorder Mann said Bird would face a maximum of eight years in prison but would be eligible for parole in four, minus the 519 days already spent in custody. He said he was worried about Bird’s attitude and said he was a danger to the public.
