Man torched sister's car after row

A SUDBURY man torched his sister's car as it sat in his grandmother's garage following a family dispute, a court heard.

Ipswich Crown Court was told that Terry Ruler, 19, teamed up with his cousin Ray Cattermole, 24, and set fire to the Ford Escort at shortly after midnight on January 31.

The pair were captured on CCTV buying a can of petrol from an Esso garage on their way to Minsmere Way, Great Cornard, where the car was garaged.

Russell Butcher, prosecuting, said some of the car parts were taken by Cattermole and were later found on his own Ford Escort.

The car, valued at around £775, was completely destroyed and it cost more than £2,500 to repair the garage.

Following their initial arrests the pair both blamed each other for the incident but later pleaded guilty to two counts of arson each.

Nicholas Cotter, mitigating on behalf of Ruler, said his client experienced problems when he fell out with his sister and became homeless.

“He reacted poorly,” Mr Cotter said. “He suffers from poor action management and low self-esteem but has grown up because of the position he has put himself in and is seeking to tackle that behaviour.”

Joanne Eley, for Cattermole, said her client had never been in trouble with police before this incident.

She said: “He is a young man who finds himself in unfamiliar territory and has told those near and dear to him that he was stupid, foolish and regrets his involvement.”

Judge David Goodin said prison was an “almost inevitable consequence” of arson but stopped short of sending the pair to jail.

Both Ruler, of Barker Road, Sudbury and Cattermole, of Walsingham Close, Great Cornard, were sentenced to a 12-month community supervision order including a requirement for 150 hours' unpaid work.

They were also both ordered to pay £250 compensation to Ruler's sister for the destroyed car.