Kai Cooper, 19, said that “people are going to get terrorised tonight” as he and a 17-year-old companion purchased fireworks and two lighters in Romford, Essex.
The teenagers lit off fireworks in the middle of the street, aiming them at startled pedestrians, a local restaurant and tavern, and parked automobiles.
Cooper handed the 17-year-old a Megaburst firework, which he slipped through Josephine Smith’s mailbox.
On October 28, 2021, the granny is reported to have been sleeping in her bed when a firework exploded and set fire to her residence.
The victim was a vulnerable person who was in no position to protect or save herself from the fire that had been ignited downstairs in her home,” Judge Mark Dennis KC said as he sentenced the killers at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Cooper was found guilty of manslaughter and arson, while his friend confessed. They both admitted to affray.
Cooper was sentenced to six and a half years in prison with an additional two years on probation, while the 17-year-old received three years and eight months in prison.