A man who set fire to a mother’s house in ‘revenge’ for his friend later told his friend: “You’ll never guess what I did!”
After learning that his friend harbored a ‘little animosity’ towards the woman, Phillip Humphrey, 41, went to the woman’s home in Rochdale and smashed some of her windows. He left and returned, causing damage before entering the house and disturbing the property inside.
He left again and returned a third time, armed with a lighter, and set the house on fire. Neighbors were forced to flee, with a total of ten houses evacuated in the early hours of November last year.
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Humphrey, from Rochdale, later pleaded guilty to arson and criminal damage and was jailed for five years.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Humphrey’s boyfriend had contacted police in 2023 to make a complaint about the woman. Their houses were adjacent to each other and their children played together.
“The complaint did not lead to anything, but at some point the defendant became aware of her [his friend’s] complaint,” said prosecutor Laura Broome.
On November 16 last year, Humphrey, his friend and others drank in Rochdale town center before returning to her home. The conversation turned to the woman who lived across the street from them before Humphrey left and said he was going to meet his cousin.
“The suspect was seen coming out on CCTV [the victim’s] house in Oldham Road at 12.45pm with another man before they started throwing objects at the house,” Ms Groome said. The victim and her children were home at the time, she added.
“She heard banging and heard her windows being smashed, grabbed her children and went to the downstairs bedroom. They were afraid to leave and the children were described as being in distress,” the complaint said.
Humphrey and the man then left and the woman fled with her children. He returned to his friend’s house and said he had “pierced her windows” and said he wanted to show her.
Both returned to the house at 2:53 a.m., during which Humphrey began punching and kicking the door and throwing missiles, while the woman picked up a scooter and launched it at an already broken window.
She has since pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was jailed for four years in January this year.
They then both walked in through the front door of the woman’s home and began damaging her belongings, including pulling over her refrigerator.
Humphrey and the woman left and she went to sleep while Humphrey returned to the house for a third time but in different clothing, the court heard.
“He was seen on CCTV entering the property through the front door at 3.45am, before smoke billowed from the first floor window five minutes later,” Ms Groome said.
“A few seconds later he left through the front door and climbed over the garden wall.”
‘You’ll never guess what I did’
Neighbors of the neighboring house heard the disturbance and initially thought it was a burglary, before they heard a man shouting: “Help, help, fire!”
Then smoke started pouring into their home and they called the police. She had to wake her husband and help him because of a knee problem, it was said.
Emergency services arrived quickly and although no one was injured in the fire, neighbors remained outside their home for several hours.
The house was left badly damaged, to such an extent that the fire brigade could not determine its origin.
Humphrey returned to his friend’s house and woke her up by shouting: “You’ll never guess what I’ve done, Oldham Road is closed… set on fire… set on fire!”
He was described as being ‘drunk as hell’ and looking as if he was having ‘some form of nervous breakdown’. The next day, his friend confronted him after seeing media reports about the fire, and later tried to blame her on the police. He also told officers that he had been drinking gallons of vodka at the time.
“This made me feel scared and my children are so scared they can’t sleep,” the victim said in a statement.
“My children keep asking why someone tried to kill us. I don’t want to leave our hotel and I don’t want to go out – I don’t want to go back to that house. We could have been killed.”
Emma Clarke, mitigating, said: “He says this was the biggest mistake of his life and he doesn’t know what came over him. He wants to express his sincere contrition and his bitter regret.
“He said this offense haunts him every day and he has flashbacks every time he lays down.
“He told me that he feels guilty for feeling this way, and that if he feels this way, he can only imagine how the family feels.”
Ms Clarke said her client had struggled with alcohol and drug problems as well as mental health issues after the loss of his brother. She also said he suffered from undiagnosed ADHD at the time.
Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale told Humphrey: ‘The background to all this stems from a small animosity between your friend and the occupant of the house. That building had been her home for quite some time and she lived there with her two young children.
“Describing the damage caused as ‘serious’ is an underestimate. Photos show her house completely destroyed. The neighbor’s home was also damaged by the fire. This was a revenge attack and several people were at risk.”
Humphrey, of Birch Road, was jailed for five years, half of which he will serve in prison before being released on licence.
‘The fire destroyed the building and made it uninhabitable’
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Russ Clarke, of Rochdale CID, said: ‘The family living in this property have lost everything they own, their clothing and all their possessions, including items of significant sentimental value. The fire destroyed the building and made it uninhabitable.
“The breaking of windows while this family was present caused them serious distress, with the resident and children believing that someone was coming in to harm them. It caused so much distress that they decided to leave the property for the night and stay elsewhere in case those responsible returned.
“Humphrey returned two more times to carry out what can only be described as premeditated acts of violence designed solely to inflict terror on the young family.
“Humphrey evaded police for over two months before he was finally arrested. During his interview, Humphrey denied starting the fire and tried to implicate others, taking no responsibility for his actions. It was only when further evidence was gathered that Humphrey accepted his full involvement and pleaded guilty.
“The impact on this family has been immeasurable and this is clear from the victim impact statement read out in court. They remain homeless and face rebuilding their lives. I hope that Humphrey’s conviction provides them with some comfort at what continues to be a very difficult time for them.”