'Overwhelmed' mum told kids to get out of family home before setting it on fire
A mum set her house on fire after telling her children to leave the house as she had become "overwhelmed" by her situation.
Cheryl Duggan had been been unable to cope with her life, and took the extreme step in the early hours of the morning in an attempt to kill herself.
She was rescued from the building, but her attempt caused more than £10,000 of damage to the council, as well as putting the lives of other people at risk, ChronicleLive reports.
Cheryl, 38, admitted to charges of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and was handed a suspended prison sentence in a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.
On October 3 2022, Duggan had been living in Gateshead with her three children, and just before 3am emergency services responded to reports of a fire, finding Duggan's neighbour and her father at the scene.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Duggan was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court (Andrew McCaren/LNP/REX/Shutterstock)Rachel Glover, prosecuting, said: "The defendant's dad said his three grandchildren had gone to his home just after 2am and said their mother had told them to get out and the house would not be there when they got back.
"Firefighters were able to bring out the defendant to safety." She admitted setting fire to soft furnishings, saying she "wanted it to be over when the kids were out".
When she was arrested, she said: "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I locked myself in the house and as soon as my kids were out of the house I did it. I just wanted to kill myself."
She was taken to hospital, where she remained for a week. Miss Glover said: "She said she had been struggling and everything got on top of her. She said she had no life, just taking the children to school and and working in a chip shop.
"She said she had been arguing with a male before the incident and she saw red and snapped. She said she intended to kill herself but had no intention to hurt anyone else."
The court heard there was severe fire, heat and smoke damage to the council-owned semi-detached house and the repair bill was £10,775.
The nextdoor neighbours were home at the time and one of them was still in bed when the firefighters arrived and had to be told to leave the house but the damage was confined to Duggan's home.
The 38-year-old, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was sentenced to two years suspended for two years with 200 hours unpaid work and rehabilitation.
Judge Julie Clemitson told her: "What you did caused a significant risk to the people next door, the people who arrived to try to help you and the emergency services who arrived.
"I've read about your difficulties with rats and so forth in your home. Things like that and arguments with your partner can sometimes be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Disabled woman paralysed after falling from wheelchair on plane walkway dies
"You were feeling overwhelmed by your situation and it was an extreme response to your situation.
"It's clear it was what the lay person would call a nervous breakdown in the context of depression. You are genuinely remorseful for your actions that morning and you were the only one to suffer physical harm."
Jane Foley, defending, said: "This is a very sad case. It's all about a woman who was trying her best but was struggling and she felt as if she was letting everyone down. She couldn't see a way out of a situation that was becoming increasingly difficult.
"She saw her responsibilities as enormous and was not able to see the sense in looking for help. She's a mother-of-four, three of whom are dependent and she was the sole carer for those children.
"She couldn't find a job that would allow her to spend the time she wanted with her children. This incident was a build up of stress, guilt and low mood, coupled with arguments she had with several others and possibly use of alcohol, which led to her experiencing suicidal thoughts.
"This was out of character. She loves her children with all her heart."
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email [email protected] or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
