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Teenage arsonists jailed

Two teenage arsonists who left a £120,000 trail of destruction in the north of the Island are starting two-and-a-half-year jail terms.

Iain Caven, aged 19, of Grenaby Road, Bride, and a 16-year-old juvenile who can’t be named, admitted setting fire to cars, wheelie bins and barns in Andreas.

Deemster Doyle heard the offences were committed between November last year and January this year.

The Court of General Gaol was told both youths wanted to be firemen and were excited by setting fires and watching the fire service deal with the blazes.

The duo set light to two cars worth £500 each at Andreas Airfield, before torching two barns at Ballasteen Farm – destroying 800 bales of hay, two tractors and damaging four other barns.

When they were arrested, they initially denied the offences but later admitted setting the fires to police.

Deemster Doyle, jailing them, said prison was a last resort for young people but in this case the crimes were so serious they deserved a custodial sentence.

He described the case as “troubling” but said the offences were so grave they’d passed the threshold for both to be jailed.

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