Man set fire to ex-lover's home after rumours about 'three-way tryst' became 'general knowledge'

A 31-year-old man set fire to his former lover’s house in a bid to force her to move away, after rumours about their ‘three-way tryst’ became ‘general knowledge’ in Barnsley. 

As he jailed defendant Jordan Stevenson for the arson, the judge, Recorder Mark Giuliani, told him: “It became general knowledge that you became involved in some sort of sexual tryst with the complainant and her man partner.”

Recorder Giuliani described the romantic arrangement as a ‘three-way tryst,’ during a hearing held on June 3, 2024. 

Sheffield Crown Court was told that Stevenson believed the complainant was attending a pre-arranged event and would be away from her home for the night.

In the early hours of July 9, 2023, he set about trying to set the house alight using a coke bottle filled with petrol. 

“You took it upon yourself to try and force her to leave the area,” Recorder Giuliani said, adding: “You filled a coke bottle with petrol…in the early hours you went to her home. You didn’t make any checks to ensure the house was empty.”

He told Stevenson there were several indicators that the house was occupied at the time, such as a light being on in the house, an open window and the complainant’s car being parked outside.

Recorder Giuliani said Stevenson proceeded to push the petrol-filled bottle through the letter box and on to the property’s laminate flooring. 

“There was CCTV nearby. It shows you place a rag into the letter box…you made numerous attempts with your lighter, flicking it to try and set fire to the bottle. Eventually you were successful, and ran off,” Recorder Giuliani said.

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He continued: “The complainant was alerted by a fire alarm in her house. She came downstairs and was able to extinguish the fire by using a cup of water.”

In a statement submitted to the court, the complainant detailed how as a consequence of the incident she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffers from what Recorder Giuliani described as ‘severe anxiety’.

The complainant has also received treatment for a serious medical problem, which she attributes to the stress caused by the incident. 

Stevenson was subsequently charged with one count of arson and one count of arson, reckless as to whether life was endangered, both of which he denied at an earlier hearing. 

Jurors convicted him of the offence of arson, reckless as to whether life was endangered, and cleared him of the other arson count, at the conclusion of a Sheffield Crown Court trial. 

Defending, Richard Canning said Stevenson, who only has one other matter of criminal damage dating back to when he was 17-years-old on his criminal record, genuinely believed ‘there was no-one in the property’ when he carried out the arson. 

Mr Canning also suggested that a ‘low value of damage’ had been caused to the property; but Recorder Giuliani said he was obliged to sentence Stevenson based on ‘the harm intended, not the harm actually caused’. 

Recorder Giuliani continued: “I’m satisfied that he intended to significantly damage that property.”

As he sent Stevenson, of Ingsfield Lane, Barnsley, to begin a five-year prison sentence, Recorder Guiliani branded him ‘completely reckless’.

Stevenson was told he will have to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in custody.