Petrol-soaked attack sparks flames outside home
A man has been locked up for 14 years after torching a car parked on a driveway in Staining, near Blackpool. Peter Vernal, 41, deliberately set fire to the vehicle belonging to a man in his late 80s in a twisted case of mistaken identity.
Flames ignite at 10.30pm on Summerville Avenue
The shocking attack happened on the night of July 21 last year on Summerville Avenue. The elderly car owner was woken by the sudden glow of flames lighting up his bedroom. Peering out, he saw his Dacia Sandero smouldering just a metre from his front door. Emergency crews from Lancashire Fire and Rescue rushed to the scene, dousing the flames and preventing further damage. Investigators found an improvised Molotov cocktail left behind at the scene.
Police link petrol purchase to arson
Blackpool CID launched a swift probe, tracing Vernal’s steps. CCTV showed him buying petrol and a can near the M55 junction shortly before the fire. The suspect’s vehicle left the garage at 10.22pm and was later spotted near the crime scene at 10.33pm. Vernal was arrested in Fleetwood the day after the blaze. At Preston Crown Court in January, a jury found him guilty of arson, reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
Judge hands down a tough sentence
On April 15, Judge Ian Unsworth KC sentenced Vernal to 14 years – split between nine years behind bars and five years on licence. The flames may be out, but the scorch mark on the community remains.
