Mansfield man in court charged with arson after two women rescued from flat blaze

William Richardson, 33, was remanded into custody after appearing in the dock at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

He was charged with arson with intent to endanger life and racially-aggravated public order.

Police were called to reports of a fire inside a flat in Garratt Avenue, Mansfield, at around 12.15am on Thursday.

Firefighters gained entry to the property, put the blaze out and safely rescued two women from the address. No injuries were reported.

Officers arrested a man on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and he was further arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated public order after allegations that officers were verbally abused.

Richardson, of Garratt Avenue, Mansfield, is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on April 29.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Moore, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Fires within people’s homes can have catastrophic consequences which is why we treat incidents like this with such seriousness.

“Thankfully the incident was quickly contained after fire service colleagues swiftly responded, put the fire out and safely removed two women from the address.”

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