Woman sentenced to five years for Kettering arson

A Woman who deliberately set fire to the bedroom of her Kettering flat has been jailed for five years.

Lilian Mwuaura, aged 32, of Windmill Avenue, was arrested following the arson attack which happened at about 2am on January 5 last year.

Northampton Crown Court was told the property was part of a two-storey block of 10 flats and that the subsequent investigations revealed fires had been started in at least three separate locations within Mwuaura’s home.

This included in the main living room area which was ablaze at the time. Fire investigators said items had been gathered underneath the window and set alight.

And in the most concerning one of all, paper had been set alight underneath the gas meter in her bedroom, leaving the meter scorched.

Mwuaura was sentenced to five years imprisonment after she was found guilty of arson with intent to endanger life. She had denied the allegation.

Detective Constable Dave Bastuba, the investigating officer in the case, said he was very pleased with the sentence handed down by the court.

He said: “Despite denying the offence, the court found Mwuaura guilty of arson after hearing clear evidence which showed she had tried to start fires in three separate areas of her flat.

“Luckily, thanks to the prompt action taken by the police and fire service colleagues, these were contained. However, the consequences of her actions for those living in that block of flats could have been catastrophic. Hopefully, she will now reflect on those actions while she serves her sentence in prison.”