A chilling tape of a teenager calling 999 to claim someone else had set fire to a Calderdale primary school he had just torched has been released.
In the audio Aaron Foster, then aged 19, can be heard making the call to West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service blaming non-existent accomplices, to avoid suspicion falling on himself.
life sentence for deliberate fire
Foster, of Stanningley Road, Mixenden, who had denied the charges but was later found guilty, was given a life sentence for deliberately starting a fire at Ash Green Primary School in February 2022 and another at Mixenden Library in August 2020.
Damages to the school were over £4.5m and around £180k at the library.
999 call placed
During the call, Foster is heard telling the control room operator he’d just come out of prison
After getting trapped by the flames he had deliberately lit, Foster then calls 999 in a panic.
During the call, Foster is heard telling the control room operator he’d just come out of prison and his mates had suggested stealing iPads to get some money, but then ditched him after they set fire to the school. "There’s sparks everywhere," he says. "It’s getting worse."
Safety assistance
Foster, who is currently 20, also admits on the call to breaking into the school after smashing a window. He is given advice to cover his mouth with a jacket stay calm and get close to the floor.
Guided by the operator he was eventually able to get to an area of the school away from the flames and was then assisted to safety by fire crews.
fire investigation
The fire investigation that followed the incident indicated that there had been three or four seats of fire
Foster had been captured on CCTV walking around the school using the torch function on his mobile phone and carrying a lit cigarette.
The fire investigation that followed the incident indicated that there had been three or four seats of fire. The footage showed Foster going into classrooms in the Key Stage Two area and captured the moment the first fire was started.
suspicion of arson and burglary
He was subsequently arrested by West Yorkshire Police on suspicion of arson and later suspicion of burglary.
His sentencing comes on the same week another man was given 14-and-a-half years extended license after setting a car on fire, which quickly spread to a family home, trapping a woman and two children inside, fearing for their lives.
pleading guilty
He pleaded guilty at an earlier trial to the arson attack; being reckless as to whether property would be destroyed
Luke Patchett, aged 33, of Bolton Hall Road, Wrose, Shipley, will spend the next seven years behind bars and seven more on license for setting the car ablaze in Clapham Street, Denholme, in the early hours of June 13 this year after going on a drink-fuelled arson and burglary spree.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier trial to the arson attack; being reckless as to whether property would be destroyed or damaged; and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. He also admitted to theft and criminal damage from the same night.
arson is a serious crime
Fire chiefs have welcomed both the verdicts which they said sent a strong and clear message that arson is a very serious crime, which endangers life.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer - Dave Walton said, “Both these cases highlight the completely reckless behavior of two individuals, with no thought as to whether their actions were endangering lives."
Endangering lives
The arsonist trapped in the school by his criminal antics put not only his own life in danger"
Dave Walton adds, “There were people trapped inside the house in Denholme including children. Luckily, we were able to get to the scene in time to rescue them or this could have been a very different story."
He continues, “Similarly the arsonist trapped in the school by his criminal antics, put not only his own life in danger but also our crew's lives were unnecessarily endangered having to rescue him."
callous acts
Dave Walton continues, “And to then ring up our control staff after getting himself trapped and blaming others for setting the fire is beyond belief."
He further said, “Arson is the deliberate act of setting fire to property and is extremely dangerous, as these two cases show. Those who commit such callous acts are a danger to society and the sentences this week reflect that.”
