Matthew Pallett jailed for six years for arson and aggravated burglary in Mansfield

A man armed with a pool cue who attacked someone he had an ongoing feud with and later returned to set fire to their house in North Nottinghamshire has been jailed.

Drunken 45-year-old Matthew Pallett from Mansfield and two other men first appeared at a house in Mansfield in the middle of the night on August 5 2021.

Forcing his way into the property, Pallett and 46-year-old Paul Bonson got into a fight with the victim who grabbed a hammer to defend himself and called the police.

Officers arrived at the house at around 2.45am and arrested the two intruders.

Four months later and joined by Harry Cairns (22) and Andrew McConnell (22), Pallett again targeted the house but found it empty.

The trio poured accelerant through the letter box and set it on fire causing damage to the front door. Emergency services were called at about 4am.

As they arrived at the scene, police spotted a car driving away from the property and pulled it over.

Pallett, Cairns and McConnell were found inside smelling of accelerant and were later charged with arson with recklessness.

Pallett, charged with arson and aggravated burglary, was handed a six-year sentence at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday 6 April.

Cairns, of Claydown Way, Luton, and McConnell, of Bridge Street, Belper, were both jailed for two years in February.

Bonson, of Beech Hill Avenue, Mansfield, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

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