Lincoln County Hospital arsonist who caused £2m of damage sentenced to prison
CCTV footage from Lincoln County Hospital, courtesy of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust
An arsonist who started a fire which forced the evacuation of a hospital accident and emergency department has been jailed.
John Gillion Watson, 57, of Vicarage Court, Sleaford, caused almost £2 million of damage to the A&E at Lincoln County Hospital, forcing it to close it for several days in March last year.
He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday after admitting arson, recklessly endangering life, in January.
The court heard how Watson had entered the hospital as a patient before starting the fire in a room just off the main A&E department in the early hours of the morning on 29 March.
CCTV footage showed him wearing a distinctive black jacket with "Elvis" on the back in an area which was engulfed with smoke before he was moved on by firefighters.
He was arrested later the same day.
The fire led to the emergency evacuation of the busy A&E department – including sick and injured patients – and risked igniting the oxygen piping, which could have caused major damage throughout the hospital.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT), which runs the hospital, declared a major incident as a result of the fire, with patients diverted to other departments as well as other hospitals.
The A&E department was closed for 48 hours and damage to diagnostic equipment meant that more than 3,300 patient appointments were delayed.
Six crews from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to tackle the fire, which was found to have caused extensive damage to the imaging room containing the CT scanner and MRI machine, a mobile ultrasound machine and other equipment, as well as soot and smoke damage to the entire department and neighbouring areas.
Watson, who has been in custody since his arrest, did not attend the sentencing hearing.
Det Sgt Dave Patten, who led the investigation, said it was "one of the most serious and reckless cases of arson" Lincolnshire Police had ever dealt with, and that the potential for harm if the fire had escalated was "unthinkable".
“The impact on the community and the hospital teams has been profound, with patients having to be diverted to other treatment centres, and clean up and repair work impacting the use of a busy emergency department," he said.
“This would have been very frightening for staff and patients, and I hope that today’s sentencing goes some way to providing some comfort that justice has been served against the individual responsible.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.