Son set house alight with mum and brother asleep inside - then left for work
dailyrecord.co.ukA son set his home on fire with his mother and brother asleep insid, and went off to work. Michael Ayres deliberately set the blaze, leaving his two relatives to fend for themselves as flames took hold in the early hours of November 19 last year.
The pair were able to flee to safety after waking up to discover their home was on fire. The mother, who had mobility difficulties following a stroke, was roused by her other son, who managed to douse the flames in a smoke-logged downstairs room.
Ayres, 38, was struggling with the effects of his relationship breaking down when he started the fire, a court was told. Four days before setting the home alight, he had sent a text saying, “Goodbye”.
Lynsey Knott, prosecuting, told the court the four-storey property in High Street, Barwell, was purchased by Ayres’ then partner and his brother in 2017, for them to all to live in as a family.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk