Overview
- Newcastle Crown Court jailed five men for a combined 25 years after guilty pleas to arson-related charges tied to attacks in late January and early February.
- Prosecutors said a VW Golf was doused in petrol and burned on January 31, then a Range Rover was reversed into 140–142 Fossway and set alight on February 2.
- Royal, Reid and Smith admitted conspiracy to commit arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, while Curley and Patterson admitted arson on the two dates.
- Newly released forecourt video shows fuel being collected at a Shell station, corroborating evidence of reconnaissance, phone contacts and a Range Rover staged nearby days before.
- CCTV shows John Henry Sayers moving the burning vehicle away from the building while occupants were inside; defence cited drug debts and exploitation as mitigation, as police stressed community protection.