Overview
- Two masked men attacked an end-of-terrace house in Bury on 18 January when a window was smashed and petrol was poured inside, causing an explosion and a large fire while the occupants slept.
- Greater Manchester Police identified Jody Lynam after CCTV showed him at the scene and DNA from a discarded balaclava was matched to him.
- Lynam pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was sentenced to six years and nine months at Minshull Street Crown Court.
- The Marsden family escaped without physical injury but the blaze caused over £113,000 of damage, left their home uninhabitable nine months later, and forced the family into temporary rehousing.
- Prosecutors told the court the attack was ordered by a drug dealer to ‘send a message’ to a rival, the second offender on the CCTV remains unidentified, and the case highlights risks to innocent people from gangland intimidation.