Depressed man 'put lives at risk' by torching his flat in Leeds high-rise
A man who said he wanted to take his own life set fire to his flat on the 11th floor of a high-rise building.
Luke Sharp removed smoke alarms at Poplar Mount in Bramley, but the sprinkler system was activated which sent a message to the fire service.
The 31-year-old was jailed at Leeds Crown Court after admitting arson reckless as to whether life was endangered.
He also pleaded guilty to assault and threats to damage property from a later incident at his mother’s home.
Prosecutor Caroline Abraham said the fire service were called to Sharp’s block of flats on August 24, 2024 shortly before 5pm.
Firefighters forced entry to his flat and removed him from inside. They found the fire had been started with paper and a foot stool, with another seat of the fire identified as a wooden chair.
Nearly £5,000 worth of damage was caused.
Sharp said he started the blaze to end his life and “wanted to stop the shouting and laughing”.
He was taken to hospital and later to the Becklin Centre for treatment for his mental health.
Having been bailed, on December 19 last year he was at his mother’s home in Bramley when he began to argue with his brother about money.
It turned violent and their mother tried to step in and intervene. Sharp punched her to the chest and kicked her.
He also told her he would burn down her home.
Sharp, of no fixed address, has no previous convictions. He appeared in court from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Adam Walker described Sharp as a “polite, intelligent and pleasant young man”.
He added: “The enormity of what he has done has sunk in.”
He said the father-of-two had mental-health issues, not helped by his use of illicit drugs.
Judge Ray Singh told Sharp: “A large part of this is you taking drugs and behaving in an erratic and unlawful manner.
“The wake-up call should have been your first arrest for arson.
“It meant that you not only put your life potentially in danger, but others who lived in the block.”
He jailed him for 33 months in total.