An arsonist set fire to a seaside conference centre and proceeded to calmly sit down and smoke a cigarette – as the blaze takes hold of the building just behind him.
CCTV footage captured Shane Wilson’s bizarre behaviour, showing the 38-year-old unflinching despite the inferno raging just a few feet away from the picnic table he was casually sat at.
Even as he was engulfed by thick black smoke from the fire, he did not move.
Only when startled security staff at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) arrived was Wilson led away to safety. The blaze to the back of the conference and concert venue caused £53,000 worth of damage.
Wilson, who has 38 previous convictions for 120 offences, admitted arson and was jailed for two years and two months.
CCTV showed Wilson walk up a flight of steps behind the BIC at 7.30pm on August 4 last year.
He was seen crouched behind a pillar as he set fire to a stack of wicker chairs using a lighter.
Rather than flee the scene, Wilson ambled to a bench, sat for a minute and then had a cigarette.
CCTV captures Shane Wilson sat calmly on a picnic bench after setting the building behind him on fire
Wilson pleaded guilty to arson and was jailed for two years and two months
The security staff turn up at 7.39pm and have to cover their mouths to protect themselves from the smoke.
Prosecutor Ned Sillett told Bournemouth Crown Court: ‘It was a very large blaze causing significant damage.
‘It was through luck more than anything else that all the staff went home before the fire.
‘The building was empty but Wilson did not know that.’
After his arrest, Wilson told police he had been robbed of his phone and voices inside his head told him to set fire to the chairs.
Mitigating, Laura Duff, said the defendant suffers with an alcohol problem and spent his time in pubs due to being homeless.
Ms Duff said Wilson was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time and was meant to be medicated.
However, Wilson said that because he was homeless he struggled to get a GP for his medication.
Bournemouth International Centre was seen on fire from the beach. The blaze caused damages of £53,000
Ian Jeffries, Senior Crown Prosecutor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘This reckless act posed a clear danger to life.
‘After setting fire to wicker chairs inside the Bournemouth International Centre, Shane Wilson made no effort to extinguish the flames or call for help, instead leaving the fire to spread unchecked.
‘His actions risked the lives of anyone nearby and those whose professional duty required them to respond.
‘He could not have known whether staff were still inside, and the consequences could have been catastrophic.
‘The Crown Prosecution Service worked with Dorset Police to build a strong case, resulting in Wilson pleading guilty.
‘We hope that today’s sentence makes clear that perpetrators of such dangerous and irresponsible behaviour will be brought to justice.’
