AN arsonist has been jailed after he set fire to a car belonging to a woman who spurned his advances, and claims he did it on command of voices in his head.

Conner Murray, 23, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, November 17, after having pleading guilty to arson.

Prosecuting, Chris Hopkins told the court how in the early hours of July 8, 2023, Murray set fire to a vehicle outside a woman’s house in Whitecross.

This was described as a ‘planned attack’, with the 23-year-old having bought the supplies to carry out his arson hours prior.

Murray bought a jerry can and petrol from the Texaco on Lovely Lane the morning before the incident.

The court later heard how, in March, his advances had been rebuffed by the woman in question whose car he set ablaze in Whitecross.   

Following the incident, the victim posted a picture of her burnt-out car on Facebook. Murray responded, commenting that ‘things would only get worse’.

After he discovered the police had been contacted, he called her a ‘grass’ and told her partner that ‘his house would be next’.

It was found that, at the time of the incident, Murray was both drunk and high.

Once arrested, the 23-year-old, who resides on Co-operative Street, Chickenley, called the victim a liar, saying he had not carried out the crime.

The court also heard a statement from the car’s owner about the effect it had on her life.

A single mother, the car was written off and was a large amount of money for her, and ‘had an effect on her freedom’. She was also said to have ‘a degree of fear and she has trouble sleeping’.

Defending Murray, Ms Duke told the court that he suffered from ‘Moderate Depressive Disorder’.

She said that he was struggling with intrusive thoughts that told him to burn her car, however claimed he now recognises that these are not real.

She went on to state that the drugs and alcohol were contributing factors in his decision to set fire to her car.

Judge Recorder Lasker, presiding over the case, noted that Murray has light previous convictions, none of which had led to a custodial sentence.

He went on to sentence the Chickenley man to 21 months in prison, reduced to 14 months due to an early guilty plea.

Whilst this fell into a range where it could have been suspended, Judge Lasker addressed this saying:

“I do not feel I would be doing my duty if I did not impose an immediate custodial sentence.”

He was also served with a restraining order against the victim with no limit of time, effectively imposing it for life.