Family smashed window to flee fire after arson attack

A family was forced to escape a fire through a smashed window during an arson attack by a drunken yob who was high on cocaine.

- by Nick Frame

William Turner torched the van outside the property in Sandford Road, South Elmsall, but it quickly spread to the property, blocking the family’s only exit route.

After a neighbour alerted the residents, a window was smashed and a duvet laid over the sharp edges. The three young children were then passed to safety by their father.

Turner was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after admitting arson reckless as to whether life was endangered.