Man sentenced for charity shop arson in Norwich
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Pictured: Darren Ince
A man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after setting fire to charity shop in Norwich.
Darren Ince, aged 57 and of no fixed address appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Wednesday 3 July after pleading guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and arson reckless as to whether life is endangered at a previous hearing.
The sentence follows an incident on Sunday 25 February 2024 at around 10.10pm when Ince set fire to a charity shop on St Benedict’s Street, Norwich.
A witness described seeing flames coming from the front door of the shop and a man standing in the doorway and adding items to the fire to help fuel it further.
Ince, who matched the description given by the witness, was arrested further down the road a short while later and taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning. He was charged with two counts of arson and remanded into custody.
The shop has suffered in excess of £90,000 worth of losses through damage to the shop and stock as well as lost sales and cleaning and repair bills.
On Wednesday 3 July, he was sentenced to four and a half years and two years on extended license.
Lead investigating officer, PC James Mcavoy said: “Ince is a dangerous offender who has now been imprisoned, removing the opportunity for him to offend further. His actions could have had serious consequences and we are incredibly lucky that no one was hurt.
“I hope this sentence offers reassurance to the staff of the shop and the local residents that we will continue to work to remove people like Ince from the streets of Norfolk.
“I would like to thank the public with their assistance with this investigation and achieving this positive outcome.”