Man jailed for starting bungalow fire
A FORMER Land Rover worker who said he wanted to kill himself after starting a fire at his bungalow has been jailed for 12 months.
Robert Blackham, aged 49, of Holly Hill Road, Frankley, who admitted a charge of arson, twice rang the police to say he was going to "start a bonfire" in his council property.
He then carried out his threat by dragging a mattress into the middle of his living room and setting fire to it before lying down on a sofa.
Michelle Heeley, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said before the fire brigade arrived a neighbour had taken Blackham out of the property but he had gone back in again.
She said about £2,000 damage was caused to fixtures and fittings.
Andrew Fisher, defending, said Blackham, who had already spent five months in custody on remand, had previously had a job at Land Rover but his life had fallen apart after his wife left.
As a result, he said, he began to drink "terrifying amounts" of alcohol and lost his job but now believed he could get his life back on track.
