A violent arsonist who set fire to a bin at his partner’s home, before torching a nursery fence and people’s cars has been jailed for four years and 38 weeks.
Stephen Hicks, of Albert Road, Leyland, committed a string of fires causing more than £5,000 of damage on July 31 last year, after getting drunk.
Preston Crown Court heard his tirade had started when his partner had ignored his phone calls fearing an argument.
He set fire to a bin at the side of her home where she lived with their child on Doodson Avenue in Lostock Hall shortly before 2am on July 31 last year.
He was then caught on CCTV setting fire to a fence at Our Lady and St Gerards’ Pre-School on Lourdes Avenueand then to neighbours cars parked on nearby St Cuthbert’s Road.
The court heard he had been abusive to police officers when arrested and that at first he had said his partner was motivated by malice and that police officers had assaulted him.
He was also on a suspended jail term for assaulting his sister at the time of the offence.
He was found guilty of seven arsons and an assault by beating, putting him in breach of a suspended jail term.
Sentencing, Judge Heather Lloyd, sitting at Preston Crown Court, said: “There’s a history of domestic violence within your relationships as previous convictions show.
“It could have been much more serious because as your counsel rightly points out, fire is unpredictable.
“It must have been extremely frightening for your victim who was alerted by a vigilant neighbour, and for all of those people who looked out of their windows to see their vehicles on fire.
“Your response to the jury demonstrated to me that you do not show remorse or feel responsible for your actions.”