Jail for arsonist who burned charity's minibus fleet

A MAN who started fires which destroyed 12 vehicles belonging to a charity serving people with mobility problems in the Thornbury area has been jailed for three years.

Daniel Cron, aged 26, set fire to a total of 20 vehicles, causing damage estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds, in the early hours of April 3 last year.

Twelve vehicles belonging to Four Towns and Vale Link Community Transport, which serves areas including Almondsbury, Alveston, Frampton Cotterell, Olveston, Rockhampton, Thornbury, Tytherington and Winterbourne, were destroyed and a 13th was damaged during the spree carried out by Cron and another man, who has yet to be identified by police.

A number of privately-owned vehicles were also damaged in the attacks.

Cron, of Filton, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on January 11 and was sentenced to three years in prison, having pleaded guilty to 21 counts of arson – the 21st related to a fence – at a previous hearing.

An Avon and Somerset spokesperson said dozens of people submitted footage from their private CCTV, doorbell cameras and dashcams in response to an appeal for video evidence after the attacks.

Using the footage, officers then tracked Cron and the other man as they set fire to the vehicles between 1am and 4.40am in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Patchway and Stoke Gifford, where the vehicles were stored.

After the sentencing hearing Inspector Steve Davey, of Operation Remedy, said: "Cron has never offered any explanation for his actions and it was only by sheer luck that nobody was seriously injured or killed.

"While no one was hurt, vulnerable members of the community lost a vital transport resource, while the community group which owned the minibuses, along with other motorists, suffered a significant financial hit and the inconvenience of replacing their vehicles.

"We’re extremely grateful for the support we received from the public following our appeals.

"Their help in providing us with footage saved a lot of valuable police time and enabled us to quickly put together a route Cron and the other man took and provided the evidence we needed to secure this conviction."

Four Towns and Vale Link chief executive Nigel Davis said the attacks had "shell shocked" the charity, which lost more than half of its minibus fleet, but staff and volunteers had been "uplifted by the offers of support which came from the community".

He said: "We are still not back where we were, prior to the vandalism, despite a very good service from our insurance company.

"It was a very difficult and time-critical undertaking to try and replace the written off minibuses in the open market.

"Certain vehicles were simply not available, or delivery timescales were advised to be up to 52 weeks. We could not wait longer than a few days, if all our commitments were to be achieved."

He said the charity was also given a week's notice to quit the area it had used to park its vehicles by landowner RollsRoyce, which was "more of a blow than the actual fire itself".

The charity was lent vehicles by Callicroft school and vehicle leasing company ALD Automotive, and Crossbow House in Frampton Cotterell offered some free parking for its remaining vehicles as it tries to secure a long-term site.

Mr Davis said Four Towns and Vale Link had also been affected by the spike in fuel prices and a shortage of volunteer car drivers as it tries to meet increased demand in light of recent bus route cancellations. Anyone who is interested in volunteering as a car driver or to help with admin should call 01454 250500 for further information.