A SERIAL arsonist who caused thousands of pounds of damage in a bid to be ‘sent back to prison’ has been locked up again.
Tina Smethurst, 47, of Huddersfield Road was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.
Smethurst had purposely set fire to five industrial-sized bins behind the Iceland store and Fresh Deli off Peel Street in the town centre, causing a ‘huge’ explosion and £55,000 worth of damage to nearby shops on August 13.
She had reported the crime to the emergency services herself and had said she wanted to remain anonymous - but the police then contacted her on the same phone number she had used to make the report and she was found nearby.
After her arrest she was found to have a cigarette lighter and was charged with arson - she admitted the crime in court and claimed she did it because she ‘can’t cope’ with life outside of prison.
