Dangerous Blackburn man set fire to ballot paper before posting it through woman’s letterbox during arson spree

When did the incidents occur?

Callum Southworth, 22, committed all the offences in the space of just over an hour on April 22, 2022.

What happened?

Police were first contacted by the fire service at 12.41am to reports wheelie had been set alight behind JYSK, Pizza Hut and in the doorway of a business in Mayson Street.

The wheelie bin belonging to a AJ Cash and Carry is Dickens Street was also set on fire at 12.50am.

The incident was captured on CCTV and shows Southworth, who was wearing pants with a reflective stripe at top of leg, attempt to set fire to the bin.

When that failed, he set fire to items in the bin and walked away.

Officers were called again to reports the fire service has across a fire in Higher Audley Street at 1.12am.

Firefighters found a trampoline in the garden of a property had been set alight, as well as a pushchair which had been placed up against the back door.

There were adults and children in the property at the time, with the youngest being just three-years-old.

The fire service contacted police again at 1.39am as they battled a house fire in Cambridge Street.

A wheelie bin had been set on fire outside the front of the property, close to the front door.

This caused both ground floor windows to smash and the front door to catch fire.

Firefighters forced entry to the property and got the lone female out. She was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

The utility boxes on the front of the property were also damaged, leaving the victim with no gas or electricity.

Firefighters confirmed they saw the same male – now known to be Southworth – at the scene of the incident and in close vicinity of another one.

They described the man as being white, around 5ft 8ins tall, with a black eye on his left eye.

He was wearing a grey hoodie and black pants.

At 1.48am, a resident in Merchants Landing called 999 after someone posted a lit ballot paper through her letterbox, however this had failed to set fire to the property.

PC Christopher Hamil attended the scene and viewed the victim’s CCTV footage, and identified the suspect to be Southworth.

PC Hamil located Southworth on Bennington Street wearing the same clothing as seen on the CCTV footage and described by firefighters in Cambridge Street.

How long was he jailed for?

Southworth, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, two arsons and one attempted arson.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in custody, with a two-year extended licence period, after appearing at Preston Crown Court earlier this week.

The judge also deemed him to be a “dangerous offender”.

What did Lancashire Police say?

DC Adele Hassall, of Blackburn CID, said: “Southworth’s reckless actions could have easily resulted in somebody losing their life.

“His appalling offending quickly escalated from setting fires to wheelie bins outside businesses to then targeting residential properties with people inside.

"Southworth committed his offending at times when his victims were likely to be asleep and if the fires had quickly spread they may not have been able to react.

“I welcome the sentence handed down to him and hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on his disgraceful behaviour.”