Dean Clark 58 of Anchor View in Wisbech was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday 11 March after he was found guilty by a jury after he pleaded not guilty to arson with recklessness to endanger life at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for nine years, with an extended period of five years on licence. The incident took place on Tuesday 19 March 2019 at around 8.40pm when officers were called by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service following reports of a fire in a house in Maidstone Road. The fire caused significant damage to the house and a number of other terraced properties but no one was injured as a result of the incident. Clark was arrested on Friday 29 March on suspicion of arson and was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre where he was questioned and, following police investigations, subsequently summonsed to court to face a charge of arson. He was also sentenced for an arson committed in Essex in June 2021, which he also denied, whilst he was on bail for the Lowestoft offence whereby he set fire to a caravan in a yard belonging to his brother. DC Chris Thompson from Lowestoft CID said: “This was an extremely nasty incident that could have seen people seriously hurt or worse because of Clark’s irresponsible and dangerous actions. He will now have plenty of time to reflect on what he did. He also caused considerable damage to several properties on Maidstone Road, consequently causing widespread disruption and inconvenience for many residents.”
