Buxton dope-smoker set fire to girlfriend’s flat in paranoid rage - sparking five-hour stand-off

Sam Johnson, 28, was seen “hacking” at the windows of the Buxton flat with a machete while throwing items including a TV, bed and clothes onto the street below.

A nearby petrol station forecourt had to be closed as Johnson hurled tiles he had pulled from the roof of the building on January 5 this year.

Prosecutor Lucia Harrington described how Johnson and his partner had been in a relationship for eight months and the pair were engaged when the incident unfolded.

He had used cannabis and cocaine extensively – however on January 5 he was suffering cannabis withdrawal. Ms Harrington described how, in a paranoid downward spiral, Johnson’s behaviour then became “unusual”.

She said: “He questioned her about who was at the door when a parcel arrived and a notification on her mobile phone and called her a s***.

"She left the flat to go and see a friend at another flat in the building – she could hear smashing noises coming from her windows. The defendant was throwing items out of the window, including a TV, bed and clothes and she could see flames, fearing he had set alight to the flat.”

A witness described hearing Johnson shouting while “incoherently angry” and yelling “cheating s*** while hacking at the window frames with the machete.

Ms Harrington said: “After nearly five hours police forced open their way into the property and detained Johnson – it involved fire officers, police negotiators and paramedics”

Johnson smashed through plaster walls, ripped out a bathroom suite causing water damage and smashed electric sockets. Fire officers were forced to take shelter as he hurled a “barrage of debris” at them.

The owner of the flat, surveying the damage later, described it as like “visiting a crime scene from a horror film”. She added: “I find it hard to believe one person could cause such damage over a period of six hours.”

Johnson had 22 previous convictions for 49 offences, including a three-hour incident during which he threw bricks at passing cars from the viaduct in Buxton after a row with his probation officer.

Steven Taylor, Johnson’s barrister, said the defendant had been using class A drugs and cannabis since his teenage years.

A psychiatric report showed he had suffered a “psychotic episode” on January 5 and had now been diagnosed with a personality disorder.

He said: “Withdrawal from cannabis on the day would have heightened his stress, while the paranoia was due to the long-term usage of cannabis.”

Judge Jonathan Bennett told Johnson: “This is a lesson for those who say persistent use of cannabis does not cause harm. I am satisfied you pose a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public – it’s necessary to impose an extended licence period to protect the public in future.”

Johnson, of Hardwick Mount, Buxton, admitted arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, criminal damage and affray. He was jailed for four years with an extended licence period after his release of three years.