Andrew Gorrell blinked repeatedly as he was sentenced to life in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court – a punishment the judge said reflected the 'evil, random attack' that killed 82-year-old John Edwards and left two of his sons in a coma.
Gorrell, 55, from Saltney in Flintshire, was wearing a Nightmare on Elm Street T-shirt – a horror film in which the central character is burned alive – when he set fire to a wheelie bin that he had placed to block the front door of Edwards' home on Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, in the early hours of 11 May last year. The blaze spread to the house, engulfing it. Edwards died in hospital two weeks later. His sons Carl, 60, and Mark, 57, who were staying the night, were left comatose.
“Arsonist Andrew Gorrell jailed for at least 25 years for killing 82-year-old John Edwards in wheelie bin fire.”
Prosecutor Rachel Brand KC told the court Gorrell had a long history of alcohol abuse and had been drinking before setting the fatal fire and three other wheelie bin blazes nearby. The judge, Michael Chambers KC, noted that Gorrell had a previous conviction for arson: in 1990, aged in his late teens, he received a 12-month custodial sentence at Knutsford Crown Court for setting fire to a club while working as a glass collector.
'You travelled by train from Chester to Wolverhampton and then in the early hours of the morning you took a tram to Wednesbury. Why you were going there has never been fully explained – you having elected not to give evidence,' the judge told him. 'But once there you quite deliberately set a number of fires.'
Chambers said Gorrell's actions and his prior arson conviction showed he was 'a highly dangerous individual' with an interest in fire. He added that victim personal statements from family members, including one of Edwards' grandchildren, showed the impact was 'absolutely horrendous'.
'For anyone to wake up in the night to find their home on fire is a living nightmare,' the judge told Gorrell as he imposed a minimum term of 25 years before he can even apply for parole. 'Before Edwards died, he had a horrendous experience. I am afraid I am not persuaded of much remorse or regret in relation to what happened.'
Gorrell was found guilty in February of murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, and arson with intent to endanger life. For the non-murder offences he received concurrent sentences of up to 12 years. 'No sentence I can impose can put the clock back, nor should it be viewed as an attempt to put a value on a human life,' Chambers said. The exact motive for the random attack remains unclear.
