Hotel room arsonist was in drug-induced psychosis

A man who started a fire in a hotel room, causing £174,000 worth of damage during a drug-induced psychotic episode, has been jailed for four years and six months.

Bradley Bennett barricaded the door of his room at the Holiday Inn Express in Balby with a mattress on 26 January.

He set the mattress and other items alight, shouted for help and jumped out of the window, before being arrested in a nearby industrial area.

The 32-year-old, of Ridgill Avenue in Doncaster, previously pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, and was sentenced at a virtual Sheffield Crown Court hearing on Thursday.

Cheryl Dudley, mitigating, said Bennett had checked into the hotel under a fake name the day before the arson because he was "paranoid about those who were living at the property" he had been staying in.

"He continued with that paranoid behaviour, which led to the commission of the offence," she said.

Bennett, who had been on licence at the time of the offence, told officers he barricaded the room because there were "people outside who wanted to get him", the court heard.

Dudley added: "It has been simply what it was, a psychotic incident.

"But of course, if [drug misuse] repeatedly occurs that can trigger psychotic illness and the defendant is reflective of that."

She said he needed to "reflect very seriously on his use of drugs".

A psychiatric report said he likely had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a maladaptive personality disorder, though neither had been formally diagnosed.

It said the substance use had led to the offence but had not triggered "long-term psychiatric problems".

Judge Charles Thomas said: "There were a relatively large number of people present, that increases risk of serious physical harm.

"There was serious consequential economic impact and very high value of damage caused, notwithstanding that it was a multinational company."

On top of the estimated £174,000 repair cost, there was an ongoing financial loss of more than £50,000 due to closure and rooms being out of commission, the judge said.

He noted Bennett had sought referrals for psychiatric help in custody in the past and none of his earlier convictions had been for similar offences.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North