Car fire-starter jailed

THE aftermath of Siddall’s arson rampage in Queen Street, Shaw.

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Dad so drunk he couldn’t remember £40,000 rampage
A YOUNG dad who went on a five-hour New Year’s Day arson rampage in Royton and Shaw has been jailed for four years.

Liam Siddall (27) - who was so drunk he could remember nothing about his actions afterwards - did almost £40,000 worth of damage to seven cars, one of them in a garage attached to a house in which a family was sleeping.

Sentencing him at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Jeffrey Lewis said: “You accept that what you did was despicable, and it is no excuse to say you had too much to drink. It drove you to behave in this astonishing and foolish way and you put lives at risk. You have to answer for what you did that night.”

Siddall, of Chapel Lane, Royton, was so drunk he slept for 24 hours after his rampage then handed himself in to police.

Siddall, who has a five-year old daughter, had planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve with pals at a friend’s home, but was turfed out after midnight because he had been drinking all night and was loud and rowdy.

Trouble began when he drunkenly picked a fight with two brothers walking home. He picked up a plank of wood and a metal bar and threatened them, then followed them home.

He later returned to the road, walked up the driveway of a home and went into an unlocked garage.

Smoke was soon spotted coming from the garage and the energency services called.

The homeowner and her family escaped from the adjoining house unhurt, but her car was seriously damaged.

After bragging in a pub about what he had done, six other cars were set on fire outside Crompton Conservative Club.

Caroline Patrick defending, said that her client, had no recollection of starting any of the fires.

She said: “He was simply going out to have a good time, but for some reason he cannot explain, the night ended as it did.”

Siddall pleaded guilty to affray, arson and reckless endangerment and six counts of arson.

He was given four years for the first arson charge and three years concurrently for each of the others.