A teenager who caused fire damage to a carpet at his mother’s home in Rawthorpe after she had asked him to leave has been sent to a young offender institution for 21 months.
Leeds Crown Court heard when Lisa Merlin got back to her home in St James’s Way on August 4 last year she found her son Connor Jervis and his brother Callum at the property.
Michael Collins prosecuting said neither of the youths were welcome there because of previous problems she had with them and she asked them both to go. Initially Callum had refused and she was on the phone to the police when she heard him leave.
She again asked Connor to go but “he began to go wild” said Mr Collins. “She saw him running upstairs carrying tissues about two feet in length on fire. He then dropped it on the carpet at the top of the stairs before running out of the back door locking it behind him.”
His teenage sister stamped on the flames and his mother poured water over them but there was some damage to the carpet.
Police arrested him in Huddersfield four days later but only after using CS gas spray to stop him lashing out.
His mother said he had been diagnosed with ADHD when he was younger and also had a serious drug problem. The court heard from a probation officer that Jervis admitted having difficulties controlling his emotions.
He had started using cannabis at the age of 11 and at that time was regularly using the drug.
Jervis, 19, of no fixed address admitted arson and resisting a police officer. He was also made the subject of a restraining order not to enter the cul-de-sac where his mother lives for five years.
