Andrew Gorrell, 54, from Saltney in Flintshire, is accused of setting fire to this property in Holyhead Road, Wednesbury. John Edwards died from injuries he sustained in the blaze.
An arsonist from North Wales “knew what he was doing” when he moved a wheelie bin to the front door of a house and set a fire that left a pensioner dead, a court has been told. Prosecution counsel Rachel Brand KC told jurors Andrew Gorrell, 54, was capable of thinking through the consequences of his actions before the blaze in Wednesbury, West Midlands, in May last year.
Gorrell, from Saltney, has opted not to give evidence in his defence to a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. It has heard 82-year-old John Edwards died in hospital after his home was randomly targeted.
His wife Doreen Edwards, who was 81 at the time of the fire, and their two adult sons Carl, 60, and Mark Edwards, 57, were all injured and taken to hospital after the fire in Holyhead Road. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Gorrell, 54, watched from the dock on Tuesday as Ms Brand used her closing speech to tell jurors: “In essence we say this is a case of murder rather than the lesser offence of manslaughter.
“We say that when he set the fire in a wheelie bin and moved towards the front door, perhaps he didn’t intend to kill anyone but he certainly intended that anyone inside would sustain a really serious physical injury.”
Jurors have heard Gorrell was wearing a Nightmare On Elm Street T-shirt when he set the fatal fire in the early hours of May 11.
Ms Brand said Gorrell had chosen to exercise his right not to give evidence, but had left jurors with “no words at all” to explain his actions. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
The prosecutor said it could be suggested that Gorrell was affected by alcohol, but that evidence showed him to be walking around without falling over.
“In short we say that the evidence shows that at the time he set the fire he was capable of coherent speech, he knew what he was doing and he was capable of thinking through the consequences of his actions,” Ms Brand said.
Michael Duck KC, defending Gorrell, said his client’s guilty plea to manslaughter meant he had acknowledged that he was responsible for ending the life of Mr Edwards.
But he argued that Gorrell’s actions had the hallmarks of “chaotic behaviour” by someone who was extremely drunk. “You may think that is the plain reality of this case,” Mr Duck told the jury.
The court has heard Gorrell has no known links to the Edwards family, their house or the Wednesbury area.
He allegedly travelled from North Wales and was first captured on CCTV at the Wolverhampton Central tram terminus at around 12.40am on May 11 where he got on a tram and went to Wednesbury Parkway, arriving just before 1am. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now – here’s how to sign up
Gorrell admits manslaughter but denies murder. He also denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Doreen and Mark Edwards and attempting to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Carl Edwards.
He denies arson with intent to endanger life but has admitted an alternative charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
