Suicide bid in Wakefield car garage sparked blaze that caused £25,000 damage
A desperate car worker who tried to take his own life started a blaze that ripped through the garage.
Four appliances were needed to bring the fire under control on Bridge Road in Wakefield in May of last year.
The 22-year-old worker was spared custody at Leeds Crown Court after he admitted a charge of arson.
Prosecutor Oliver Norman said the worker had initially tried to take his life using exhaust fumes in the enclosed garage, but when that failed, he torched the car while inside it.
When the flames became too intense, he escaped but the flames took hold of the car and spread to the building.
The owner said the damage was between £20,000 and £25,0000.
Having been arrested, the worker admitted starting the fire with a lighter.
No mitigation was offered after Judge Robin Mairs conceded the crime was against a “sad background”.
He gave him a nine-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered he carry out 15 rehabilitation days with probation.
He told him: “You are a decent young man who lost his way in May of last year.”