Cwmbran Man’s Arson Halted by Cat’s Presence in Flat

A Cwmbran man who deliberately set fire to his neighbour’s flat stopped the blaze only when he remembered there was a cat inside, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Darren Evans, 30, told police: “He’d set fire to the flat door because he thought it would be funny and added that the f***** deserved it.” He later admitted to officers that while his neighbour was “a c*** but his cat ain’t though.”

The incident occurred in October 2021 at a block of flats in the Croesyceiliog area, where Evans had also threatened other residents, including making death threats through a letterbox.

Judge Paul Hobson noted: “As an intelligent person, and with your level of education, you understand, I’m quite sure, the choices that you’ve made. And it is always a concern to read the report, someone saying effectively at the age of 30 that they’ve opted to self-destruct. I hope you think again about that, I really do.”

Evans, of Cae Rhedyn, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after admitting arson, a Malicious Communications Act offence and making threats to kill.