Two men whose “sheer stupidity” caused a devastating fire at Cycle King in Bury St Edmunds which caused £1.6 million damage had been trying to cremate a mouse, a court has heard.
Two men whose "sheer stupidity" caused a devastating fire at Cycle King in Bury St Edmunds which caused £1.6 million damage had been trying to cremate a mouse, a court has heard.
Dysney Sibbons and Ashley Finley were "trying to amuse themselves on a boring day" when they used an accelerant to burn the rodent, Ipswich Crown Court was told.
Judge David Pugh said that as a result of the location of their "sheer stupidity" they had been responsible for a devastating fire.
"I am satisfied from reading the papers in this case that it was an act of sheer stupidity by these two defendants, particularly because of the location of where they were planning to amuse themselves to alleviate a boring day by cremating a mouse," said the judge.
Before the court on Monday (May 20) were Dysney Sibbons, 23, of Elmsett Close, Stowmarket, and Ashley Finley, 25, of Borley Crescent, Elmswell.
They both pleaded pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether property would be damaged on what would have been the first day of their trial.
The case was adjourned until the week commencing June 24 for pre-sentence reports to be prepared by the probation service on the defendants.
Emergency services were called to the scene of a fire at the cycle shop, on Angel Hill, at around 5pm on September 29 2017.
The blaze ripped through the building, leaving it completely destroyed, before spreading to the nearby One Bull pub and Francela restaurant, causing extensive smoke damage to the buildings.
A dozen fire engines and more than 60 firefighters were sent to fight the flames. Fire crews finally called a stop to the incident at around midnight.
Steven Dyble, for Finley, said his client hadn't anticipated the catastrophic consequences of the blaze.
He said Finley had worked at the cycle shop for three-and-a half months and had lost his job and his previous good character as a result of the "catastrophic" fire.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here