A man who started a fire inside a terraced home and then spat in the face of a police officer who helped rescue him has been jailed.
Officers had to climb onto a fragile roof and put themselves at risk in order to rescue 41-year-old Martin Foley from the burning building.
He called police after he had a disagreement with his partner to say that if officers did not attend, he would stab him.
Foley was seen on an internal camera walking around inside the property on Larput Place in Cheltenham on 20 October last year (2024) with a large kitchen knife.
Gloucester Crown Court was told how the camera footage was watched live by the tenant of the property who was on holiday out of the country at the time.
He watched as Foley took a lighter and set fire to a duvet on the bedroom floor, which resulted in the contents of the room being destroyed.
Officers were called at 11.15am and when they arrived, smoke was billowing out of the address. They had to evacuate neighbouring properties due to safety concerns as it was a mid-terrace home.
At the time, attending officers did not know whether Foley was the only person inside the property, and due to the threats he had made, they had concerns that someone else may be injured inside.
Attending officers made attempts to search the premises before the fire service arrived, but the smoke stopped them from being able to get upstairs.
Officers placed themselves at risk by climbing onto a fragile roof while Foley was hanging out of a rear upstairs window, and they dragged him out to safety.
The court was told that Foley was aggressive and had to be restrained, and during that process he spat in the face of one of the officers who was next to him, with this landing in his eye.
Bodyworn video footage was played to the court which showed the position Foley was in with smoke coming out of the window.
Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control with no damage caused to neighbouring properties.
The court heard how the damage caused to the property was extensive, with a significant refurbishment required.
A statement from a co-owner of the property was read to the court in which she said: “The fire at my property has caused me immense stress and has been a complete shock. I am deeply saddened to learn that this incident was deliberately caused.”
Foley, of no fixed address, was arrested and interviewed. He answered no comment except to apologise for spitting in the officer’s face.
A statement from the officer was read in court which said: “I became aware of Foley hanging out of a first floor window with smoke billowing out of the window behind him. I immediately climbed on top of a flimsy plastic lean-to roof to help Foley out of the burning building.
“As Foley came to, he became aggressive and at one point spat in my eye. This was particularly unpleasant and I had to use my balaclava to clean my eye immediately. I found this incident shocking, especially as I was helping to save this male’s life.”
A statement from the tenant was also read to the court in which he described watching the events unfolding live.
He said: “On 20 October, the property I rented was deliberately set on fire; resulting in substantial financial losses, emotional distress, and a significant disruption to my daily life and sense of security. This incident has not only affected my material possessions, but also my health and wellbeing.
“I watched the horror live as it happened, leaving me feeling helpless and in distress as I saw my entire life belongings go up in flames from hundreds of miles away.”
On 17 December last year (2024) Foley pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, threats to kill his then partner and assaulting an emergency worker.
In his mitigation during a hearing on Friday 9 May, Foley’s defence barrister said he was disinhibited rather than insane, and that he had been scared of his then partner. The court was told he felt his partner controlled, manipulated and coerced him. His ex-partner did not provide a statement to police.
The court was told that Foley was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the incident, and that he had shown remorse for his actions. References had also been provided by prison staff which said he had been behaving in an exemplary fashion while in prison.
His Honour Judge Rupert Lowe said: “Police officers arrived in response to your call to find smoke billowing from the upstairs windows front and back, as seen on video. They evacuated the neighbours and you were found halfway out of an upstairs window.
“Officers had to help you down onto a not very strong looking structure or lean to, and when they helped you down, of course at risk to themselves, you were aggressive and had to be restrained and you spat in the face of [police officer’s name removed].”
Due to the guilty pleas, Foley was given a 25 per cent credit on his sentence. He was sentenced to three years in prison and was told he must serve up to half before being released on licence.
Judge Lowe added: “Now this act, the arson, or the series of acts caused immense suffering to a number of people.
“The apology you undoubtedly owe to everyone is maybe not going to wash very much because they’ve had such distress and loss, but I do believe that your remorse is genuine in this case.”
Following the sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Gareth Wright said: “This was a serious incident which could have had catastrophic consequences if the home had become engulfed in flames.
“Thankfully officers were able to quickly evacuate the nearby properties while Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service got the fire under control.
“No-one should be subjected to abuse or physical assault at any point, let alone while working, but Foley went one step further and spat in the face of one of his rescuers, which is completely unacceptable.
“Alongside this, the ordeal was horrible for the tenant who had to helplessly watch live while abroad as all of his belongings caught fire, and the incident has caused ongoing stress and upset for the home owners who are still going through a lengthy process to try and repair the property.”
