Man jailed for revenge arson attack

A man has been sentenced to three-years and four-months for setting fire to a house in Dartmouth as revenge against his father. 

Jai Griffiths, 36, formerly of Davis Road, Dartmouth, admitted arson being reckless whether life was endangered and possession of cannabis. He was jailed for three years and four months by Recorder Mr Richard Paige at Exeter Crown Court.

The court heard how Jai had burned down his father's home in Dartmouth on 9 December 2022, as revenge for refusing to lend him money. 

Griffiths used a can of petrol, which he was caught on CCTV filling at a petrol station near his home, to set fire to the home, before fleeing the scene. The blaze destroyed the house and smoke spread through the attic to a neighbour's house, causing a 14-year-old girl to flee into the street. 

No one was hurt in the fire. 

Griffiths was unemployed and had become a heavy cannabis user who spent most of his time online. It was here that he became convinced that cryptocurrency investment was going to be his big payday. 

He approached his father and other relatives to lend him money to invest in the scheme and threatened to burn down the house if they didn't comply. 

Griffiths had been treated for paranoid schizophrenia at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, but the judge was told that since his condition was induced by his heavy cannabis use and had improved with treatment, he was not considered for a hospital order.

Griffiths' defence team said his actions were the result of his mental illness and the fact that he was heavily under the influence of cannabis.