Arson – How easily one could become a suspect when completely innocent
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 19 January 2016 11:09
- Written by Bill Wilson
Bill Wilson successfully represented a company director who innocently arrived back to check his work premises were secure, but within minutes of leaving the property, a large industrial unit was engulfed in flames. Numerous fire-fighters attended the scene and it took hours to bring the fire under control and extinguish it. Damage was said to have ran into millions, involving not only the unit itself, but the numerous vehicles inside and the adjourning properties. Members of the public made thirty one separate “999” calls to report the fire, the first being only 5 minutes after the premises were secured. Flames were said to have been bellowing 15 feet from the highest point in the roof space. Over the following days, numerous Insurance Assessors carried out detailed forensic examination, which resulted in Bill’s client being arrested and interviewed at length (over 5 hours) on suspicion that he was responsible. Both the Police and the Insurance Experts claimed that the fire must have been started by him as it was inconceivable due to the veracity and timings of the fire, that he was innocent. This culminated in a further interview many months later and despite maintaining his innocence, he was charged with the offence of arson. Bill’s client had always contended that although he had been welding in the unit earlier that morning, he had left at lunchtime and merely returned to check that the premises were fully secure at the end of the day before the weekend. He had been inside for approximately 10 minutes and upon leaving simply locked up. He had absolutely no knowledge of the impending fire. The case went to trial lasting three weeks and after hearing all of the evidence, the jury took just over two hours of deliberation to formally return a “Not Guilty” verdict.