A MAN from Llandudno involved in an arson attack on a house in the town thought he had been “subjected to witchcraft”, a court heard.
Stuart Hughes, 41, of Ffordd Gwynedd, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, as well as a restriction order, at Caernarfon Crown Court today (February 28).
Hughes, who pleaded guilty last month to arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
READ MORE:
Woman speaks of terror after blaze blew door off hinges at her Llandudno home
Llandudno woman whose house was gutted by fire praises 'unreal' help from community
Llandudno woman moves back into rebuilt home after fire had destroyed her house
Llandudno man pleads guilty to arson following house fire on adjacent street
Prosecuting, Siôn ap Mihangel told the court that, on March 24, 2022, Zara Groves was alone in her home on Ffordd Dewi, where she had lived a “happy, trouble-free existence” for 17 years.
Ms Groves, a health, fitness and body confidence coach, was preparing to travel to an fitness event in Blackpool the following day when, at about 9.50pm, she heard an “almighty bang” at the front door.
She opened the adjoining door to find large flames blowing towards her, and coming through the middle door.
After managing to escape the property via a rear door, she almost immediately called 999, and saw her front door melting while she ran away.
A couple of males told her that they had seen two other males running away from the fire.
Zoe Booth, a neighbour, recalled a “large bang, followed by running in an alleyway”.
The fire was extinguished, but accelerant was found at the scene, and it was concluded that it was started deliberately using a flammable substance.
Hughes was arrested the following day, and a five-litre jerrycan was seized from his shed.
He was interviewed twice; first, he denied any involvement whatsoever, but second, he said two women had “subjected him to witchcraft” for nine years.
On the night of the fire, Hughes said he “felt persecuted” and “couldn’t cope anymore”, so poured petrol through Ms Groves’ letterbox, believing those subjecting him to witchcraft resided at the property.
His only motivation, he said, was to “get rid of the evil”.
NEWSLETTER: Get the latest stories from the Colwyn Bay, Conwy and Llandudno area sent straight to your inbox by signing up here.
Ms Groves, 52, appearing in court via videolink, gave a victim statement in which she described this episode as “the worst, scariest time of my life”.
She said that she has lost income from using her house as an Airbnb property, and from her business, given she works entirely from home.
But the greatest loss of all, she said, was that of her confidence.
Ms Groves added: “I hope that, one day, this insane fear will go away.
“The nightmare continues for me, and I cannot see any end to the impact of the fire which has destroyed my life.”
To try to alleviate the risk of such an incident re-occurring, Ms Groves has had closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed at her home.
Meanwhile, her new front door has no letterbox, and also has a “Ring” smart doorbell, which has a camera inside it.
Defending, Maria Masellis said that two Mental Health Act-approved psychiatrists had filed reports which reached the same conclusion; that Hughes should be subject to a hospital order.
One of the two psychiatrists, Dr Fiona Best, who has had care of Hughes since he was admitted to the mental health unit he is being held at, was quizzed by Ms Masellis.
Dr Best said Hughes had “severe” schizophrenia, that his symptoms were in partial remission, and that he is currently prescribed multiple antipsychotics.
She said: “If he were to return to prison and cease treatment, it’s very likely that he would relapse quite quickly.
“At the moment, he does still have the voices of a witch in his ears, which he finds very distressing. Without treatment, that would get significantly worse.”
Sentencing, Judge Nicola Saffman refrained from ordering Hughes to pay Ms Groves compensation due to his lack of financial means.
By imposing both a hospital and a restriction order, Hughes can only be discharged from hospital if the Secretary of State for Justice agrees.
She said that Hughes, who had two previous convictions for five offences, had a “long-standing and complicated history of chronic relapsing of mental illness”.
Judge Saffman added: “Clearly, Ms Groves was an entirely blameless individual in all of this.
“All of this is borne out of a severe relapse in his mental state.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here