Teenager walks free over fire death

A teenager who started a fire which led to the death of a grandmother has been given a suspended sentence after the judge praised his "exceptional transformation".

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was originally charged with the murder of Sylvia O'Rourke but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Mrs O'Rourke, 59, died from the effects of smoke inhalation three months after the fire at her flat in Geach Tower, Newtown, Birmingham, on 15 January last year.

The fire broke out after burning paper after lighted paper was put through the letterbox of her high-rise flat.

'Delinquent' behaviour

At a hearing at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Justice Maurice Kay imposed a three-year supervision order on the boy, but decided not to send him to a young offenders' institution.

He told the boy he had committed a "malicious" act, but accepted that he had not intended to harm Mrs O'Rourke.

He said that an "unusual combination of circumstances" had turned the fire into a fatal one.

Mr Justice Kay said the boy, who comes from the Birmingham area, had obviously been affected by the death of his father in 1999 and was behaving like a "delinquent" at the time of his death.

"What you did caused the death of a lady who did nothing whatsoever to deserve that horrible fate - that, I am sure you understand, is a matter of the utmost gravity.

"What I believe happened is that you set fire to that paper in the letter box, having put it there yourself, out of some misspent sense of grievance that you had towards the lady.

"But today you are unrecognisable from the person you were at the time of the offence.

"There has been a complete transformation in your character and behaviour."

The judge told the boy that as part of the supervision order, he would be subject to a curfew.