A MAN who burnt down a homeless man’s tent in Salisbury has avoided jail.

Gary Metcalfe, of no fixed address, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court and pleaded guilty to one count of arson relating to an incident in April 2020.

On September 8, the 35-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which was suspended for two years.

He had argued with the occupier of the tent in Culver Street car park and set the fire in revenge.

The man who lived inside the tent was not there when it happened, but around £400 worth of damage was caused when the tent, mattress, backpack, torches, flasks and food were destroyed.

The surface of the car park was also damaged.

PC Lou Poole, from the Salisbury Area Community Policing Team, said: “The victim in this case lost their accommodation and all their belongings in this fire, an incident which obviously had a huge impact on them.

“We carried out a detailed investigation, which included securing CCTV which clearly showed Metcalfe going into the tent, before re-emerging and then smoke starting to appear.

“This CCTV footage was key in ensuring Metcalfe admitted his guilt at court.”

 

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.