A woman who held a grudge against her mother-in-law hired a man to set fire to her car. The overnight fire in the parking lot spread to two more vehicles and a building.
Mold Crown Court heard Alisha Anwar, 29, felt her mother-in-law did not consider her “good enough” for her son. As a result, she paid Luke Williams, 25, to set fire to a vehicle at a block of flats in Wrexham.
A judge told the court today that it was “almost beyond belief” that Williams had bought petrol from a garage one night, filled a jerrycan with it and then targeted a parked car owned by Christina Place. It took two fire brigades an hour and a half to bring the blaze under control during the “frightening” incident, the court heard.
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Williams, of Gwenfro, Wrexham, admitted conspiracy to commit arson. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with a further eight months activated from a suspended sentence to run consecutively, reports North Wales Live.
Prosecutor Oliver King said that on June 21 or 22, 2022, the defendant Williams and his then partner Morwenna Evans were in the car when Anwar was being driven. Mrs Evans overheard Anwar asking Williams if he would blow up the car for payment.
Ms Evans dismissed it as mere “bravery” and believed Williams would not be “stupid enough” to go through with it. However, four days later, Williams was caught on CCTV at a gas station filling a jerrycan at around 6pm. He was seen near Brunel Court at 12.30pm on June 25 with the bag and 15 minutes later he was returning home without it.
A car belonging to Mrs Place was parked in the communal car park of her residence in Brunel Court, Wrexham. Around 1:00 a.m., her dogs started barking and after investigating, she noticed an “orange glow” near the fence panel near her vehicle. It didn’t take long for her to realize that her car had been set on fire.
The fire spread quickly and engulfed three cars and a nearby fence. The intensity of the heat was such that gutters, decking and window frames began to melt on a neighboring property owned by Ashley Lewis.
The cost of the repairs, which included the installation of a new window, was £3,660. Firefighters battled the flames for about an hour and a half. According to Mr King’s prosecutor, a bottle of petrol was subsequently found under Ms Place’s torched car.
Mr King said: “If it had been heated to boiling point by a car fire, it could have exploded. Fortunately, it didn’t.”
All the cars were badly damaged by the fire. Robin Davies, the owner of one of the affected vehicles, faced the inconvenience of not being without transport to work and school. Another car was also destroyed in the fire.
Mr King said Morwenna Evans realized Williams was involved and was so concerned she ended their relationship and told police. Police found that Williams had searched the internet for “Arson Punishment UK”. He also told an acquaintance that Ms Evans had “dumped” him, alluding to her telling the police.
Mr King said the defendant initially denied arson and claimed he was “out for a run” on the night of the incident. Myles Wilson, defending, pointed out that his client, who was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness, had been homeless and living in a tent for some time.
He later bought a car on credit, which he shouldn’t have done, and got into financial trouble. He succumbed to desperation for money, which led him to “stupidly” agree to participate in an arson plot, even though it was not for a significant sum of money.
He may have autism and ADHD and struggles with noisy and busy environments. He wears headphones when he works as a car valet and is “terrified” of hearing the sentence, Mr Wilson said.
The judge, His Honor Niclas Parry, told Williams: “The public will understand the inherent danger of setting fire to a car near residential buildings. Arson is always a very serious offence.”
Firefighters risk their lives when dealing with such incidents. He said the specifics of the case were “frankly mind-boggling” and said Ms Anwar was seeking revenge against her mother-in-law.
“It is unbelievable that you accepted an offer to blow up or petrol bomb her car for £150”, on terms that “almost beggar belief”, the judge added. Such an act would be “terrifying” for local residents.
Jailing Williams at a time when overcrowded prison conditions are “perhaps the most difficult they have been in two decades”, the judge also imposed a two-year restraining order banning the defendant from contacting Ms Place or Ms Evans or going to Brunel Court.
Last week, Alisha Anwar, 29, of The Oval, Pentre Maelor, Wrexham, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for the same offense and given a similar restraining order.
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