Man sentenced over horse deaths

Four horses die in stable fire

A man has pleaded guilty to an arson attack in which four horses were killed in Darwen, Lancashire.

Matthew Roberts, 19, was given a three-year community order with special psychiatric supervision at Preston Crown Court on Monday.

Roberts, a patient in a Northumberland psychiatric ward, admitted starting the blaze at a stable complex in July 2008.

A 17-year-old boy has previously admitted burglary in connection to the offence but was cleared of arson.

Mary Howarth, the owner of Sough Farm stables, had been walking her dog when she saw the fire.

She tackled the smoke and flames to rescue three horses but the other four perished in the blaze on 14 July.

Goldie was one of the four horses that died in the blaze

Speaking the day after the attack, she said: "I saw that four of the ponies had no chance, I could tell the fire was too fierce, it was horrible."

Linda Watson, whose horse Billy Bunter perished in the fire, said: "He was a gentle giant he didn't deserve to die like this."

Roberts will be constantly supervised throughout the entire three-year order by doctors and then by the probation service.

Det Insp Andy Hulme said: "It has been extremely traumatic for both the owners of the horses and stables.

"They have been extremely helpful throughout the course of this investigation.

"Without the quick-thinking of the owner, other horses could quite easily have been killed."