Man set fire to family home

1:12pm Thursday 10th April 2008

A MAN with mental health problems has been found guilty of setting fire to the family home in the middle of the night while his parents slept.

A jury at Swindon Crown Court yesterday found Lawrie Osbourne guilty of arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

He was found not guilty of arson with intent to endanger life. He has been remanded in custody until May 7 when he will be sentenced.

Osbourne is said to have started the blaze in the timber framed bungalow at Littleworth, Pewsey, shortly before 5am.

But the 27-year-old's parents were woken by the crackling of the fire and managed to escape the inferno in October last year.

His dad Graham told the court how he looked through the patio windows as he fled naked from the burning building to see his fully clothed son standing calmly outside.

And mum Jennifer told how she got out and asked her son, who had his mobile, if he had called the fire brigade to which he replied No, should I?' before dialling 999.

The jury were told that Osbourne had a history of mental health problems and had twice been sectioned.

The first time, in 2005, came after he had been arrested for harassing a barmaid who worked at a pub in Pewsey.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, said he returned to the family home in February last year after again being detained in hospital for six months under the Mental Health Act.

The jury heard the former dustman had a poor relationship with his mother.

His father said his son was unhappy they had moved to such an isolated spot.

In the days before the incident Miss Marlow said both parents and their other son, Russell, noticed a deterioration in Osbourne's mental health.

Graham Osbourne said his son would have conversations with himself and was becoming more and more withdrawn.

The night before the blaze he said his son said to him: Well, you know what you've done haven't you,' which he took to mean moved the family to Littleworth.

After going to bed at about 11pm he said he woke at about 4am and went to get a glass of water and found his son was up and dressed.

Having returned to bed both he and his wife were roused shortly after by their bedroom door briefly opening and their son standing there.

Minutes later as they were going back to sleep Graham said he smelled smoke and his wife heard crackling and they realised there was a fire.

Fire investigators said the fire had not been started by an electrical fault and almost certainly not by a cigarette end but probably by a naked flame.

Osbourne said he had not started the blaze but feared someone had got into the house and done it.

He said someone had been breaking in and moving things about during the night and they must have started the fire.