A DUDLEY man who put burning newspaper through a neighbour's letter box after the man complained he had been noisy
has been locked up for 28 months.
Dillon Lashley, aged 22, first threatened Sean Garrington with violence before he heard him shouting, "I will get rid of you,"
Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
Mr Garrington then found a burning newspaper sticking through the letter box of his flat in Montgomery Crescent,
Brierley Hill, said Geoffrey Dann prosecuting.
Afterwards he told police officers that if he had fallen asleep the fire could have spread to the hallway which was his
only avenue of escape.
Mr Garrington was able to put out the burning newspaper and investigating officers found it carried the fingerprints
of Lashley who at first denied all knowledge of the incident.
The court was told Mr Garrington had earlier protested to Dudley Council complaining about the noise Lashley made
in his flat which was below his own property.
Samantha Powis, for Lashley, who admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered, said her client
was a young man with "difficulties".
She said: "Things are not always as straightforward to him as they are to others," as she maintained "the paper might
have been smoking but the fire was out".
Mr Dann said there were suspicions but no evidence that Lashley might have damaged the door at Mr Garrington's
flat.
He said that after arriving home Mr Garrington heard banging on his door and a voice he recognised as Lashley's
telling him, "I will kill you".
Mr Garrington was still awake in the early hours when he heard his letter box rattle and the same voice shouted, "I will
get rid of you" before finding the burning newspaper.
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