Boy tried to kill family because of TV denial

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 9

Boy tried to kill family because of TV denial

NZPA-Reuter London A boy who set fire to his house and tried to kill his whole family because his father would not let him watch television has been sentenced to be detained for life. At Winchester Crown Court the boy, aged 15, admitted five charges of attempting to murder members of his family, and one of arson with intent to endanger lives. Mr Justice Thompson, told him: “This is an indeterminate sentence, and you would have the opportunity of seeing that it does'

i not last anything like a lifetime.” ; He ordered that the boy should not be identified, in the interest of family unity. | Mr Roger Titheridge, Q.C.. prosecuting, said that about • 2 a.nt. on December 23, last year, the boy had soaked fbean bags with kerosene in i his parents’ council house land had set fire to them. Then he had ridden off on I his bicycle. | “Flames were coming 'from every' aperture in the 'house,” said Mr Titheridge, (“The roof was alight, and- it jwas very fortunate indeed ’that everyone escaped with only minor injuries.

j “In the house at the time I were the boy’s parents, his two sisters, and a younger brother. The boy admitted to the police that he had set fire to the house. Asked why he did it, he replied: “I wanted to kill them, my ' parents, all of them.” He said he had wanted to stay up late to watch a filmon television, but his father; had refused to let him. j When charged with arson ■ and intending to endanger the life of. his father, he. said: “That was wrong I in- 1 tended to kill them all, not' just Dad.” t