SHEFFIELD MAN SENTENCED TO OVER SIX YEARS FOR ARSON ATTACK ON EX'S HOME
An arsonist who set fire to a shed and his ex’s house while she and their four children were inside has been jailed.Shaun Cartlidge, 41, had been with his partner for several years, but his life deteriorated after losing his job and his relationship ended.
Despite being subject to a restraining order banning him from contacting his ex, he appeared at her home in Shiregreen on November 5 last year around 8pm.
Prosecutor Nicola Quinney stated that Cartlidge told his former partner he loved her but also called her names.
A family member advised him to leave, but he returned wielding a golf club and started smashing the windows of her car parked outside.
He fled the scene but was chased by a relative.
That night, he also set fire to a shed used by the victim for a dog grooming business, which then spread to her house where she and her four children were trapped.
His family is still waiting for a new home following the fire damages.
His ex-partner stated in a victim impact statement that “Shaun could have killed us all that night,” and described how alcohol made him “cuckoo.” Cartlidge later returned at 3am, causing banging sounds on the front door, and his son saw him setting the shed on fire.
The fire made it impossible for the occupants to exit through the front door, and they decided to escape through the living room window to avoid being trapped.
Cartlidge also set fire to his ex’s car earlier, which was later declared a write-off.
His family remains displaced while their home was extensively damaged.
During court proceedings, his defense attorney Francis Edusei mentioned that Cartlidge lost his job due to the pandemic but was working as a chef in prison at the time and expressed his client’s desire to move away from Sheffield.
Cartlidge admitted to arson recklessness, criminal damage, and breaching a restraining order.
The judge, Recorder Nicholas Lumley, remarked, “It was a matter of pure good fortune nobody was killed.” As a result, Cartlidge was sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
