Jail for police firebomb attacker

A former soldier has been jailed for firebombing a police station after a murder charge against the man who killed his brother was dropped.

Chichester Crown Court heard Michael Finch, 47, threw petrol bombs at patrol cars outside the town's police station, causing £60,000 of damage.

The court heard Finch was distraught a man who killed his brother was convicted of manslaughter, not murder.

Finch admitted arson and attempted arson and was jailed for four years.

Whatever your motives your behaviour was wholly dangerous and cannot be excused in any way Judge Anthony Thorpe

The court heard Finch's 38-year-old brother Derek was killed in 2001 after being injected with heroin.

Mark Dyson, 34, admitted manslaughter and was given a four-and-a-half year sentence at Lewes Crown Court in 2002, the jury heard.

The court was told a murder charge was dropped but the Finch family was not told of the decision and reacted angrily.

On 6 November last year Michael Finch set fire to four police cars outside Chichester Police Station, broke windows with a pick-axe handle and set fire to the door of the building, the trial heard.

Finch, of Martlett Close, Chichester, admitted five counts of arson and one of attempted arson, for another police car he had tried to set alight.

Judge Anthony Thorpe told Finch he was lucky there was nobody in the police station at the time of the attack and said it was "by the grace of God" he had not killed someone.

He said: "Whatever your motives your behaviour was wholly dangerous and cannot be excused in any way.

"It is clear that whatever your unhappiness over your brother's death you are a man prepared to take extreme measures to make your point known."