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Jail for arsonist who tried to escape mental health facility

Thu, 18 Dec 2014

A 53-year old Douglas man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for arson and smuggling Class C substances into the Isle of Man Prison.

Graham Johnson had previously pleaded guilty to the charge of arson after he started a fire at the Grainagh Court mental health facility in June.

He'd hoped the fire alarm would cause a distraction so that he could escape - the damage resulted in £6,000 worth of damage.

He'd also pleaded guilty to introducing tobacco and controlled Class C substances to the prison in Jurby during a visit - the medication, commonly used to treat heroin addicts, was smuggled in using a Kinder Egg.

Deemster Montgomerie sentenced Johnson to 11 months for the arson and 10 months for the drugs offences - telling Johnson to make full use of the prison's 'in reach' services in an effort to help him sort out his issues.
 

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