Firefighters tackled nearly 3,000 arsons last year. Library picture

by Mary Graham

Pioneering research in Maidstone is looking at why people commit arson.

The findings of the “fire setter” study, taking place at the Trevor Gibbens Unit could be adopted by the NHS nationally.

Last year there were 2, 912 deliberate fires in the county, and 178 of these were in Maidstone, according to Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

One of the most shocking incidents unfolded in June, when Maidstone nightclub bouncer Farhad Mahmud, 35, helped his friend Danai Muhammadi, 24, set fire to his ex-wife’s home in Chatham using a jet sprayer filled with petrol.

Furious that his estranged wife Melissa Crook had left him, Muhammadi (pictured right) started the fire in revenge. The blaze killed her, the couple’s 15-month-old son Noah and Melissa’s father Mark, 49.

Muhammadi was sentenced to 38 years in jail and Mahmud 34 years.

And revenge is the most common motive unearthed by the research adopted by the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).

It runs the Trevor Gibbens unit in Hermitage Lane, which supports offenders with mental health conditions. Nationally there is currently no recognised treatment for arsonists.

Professor Theresa Gannon, KMPT’s forensic psychologist said: “I got into the study of fire setting because I realised I was treating lots of sexual offenders who also had arson on their criminal record, but they were not receiving any treatment for their fire setting.

“When I looked at the statistic that one in five untreated sex offenders will re-offend, I wondered what the figures were for fire setting. I realised they were very similar, but they simply weren’t being treated.”

The Trevor Gibbens Unit, where the research was carried out

Offenders are given cognitive behavioural therapy, a form of talking therapy. They look at how they identify with fire and give an honest assessment of their social skills and self-esteem.

After 18 months, preliminary results suggest the treatment reduces re-offending. It focuses on coping mechanisms so people don’t choose fire as a way of venting anger, or dealing with other problems.

In July the results will be presented to other branches of the NHS, who will decide whether to develop treatment services across England.