£2M School Arsonists Receive Suspended Prison Sentences

Louis Hall-Simper

Two young arsonists, responsible for burning down a £2m school building, received suspended prison sentences today.

Louis Hall-Simper, 23, and Harry Shearman, 22, are former pupils of Hinchley Wood Primary School, Esher, Surrey and fought the charge.

They were both convicted of arson by a Kingston-upon-Thames Crown jury, who found they were to blame for the fire in the early hours of September 26, 2021 when The Woodies Building was destroyed.

Unfortunately court staff failed to comply with the direction of Recorder Aiden Eardley QC, who ordered a live online link of the sentencing hearing to be made available to the media.

Hall-Simper received ten months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and Shearman nine months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months.

Hall-Simper must also complete 200 hours community service work and Shearman 180 hours.

Both defendants were also each ordered to pay £1200 costs.

When prosecutor Tim Sleigh opened the trial he told the jurors both defendants had been drinking that night and later told police they lit a disposable BBQ to keep warm on the school premises.

However, the prosecution say there was no evidence of a BBQ in the debris and even if the ex-pupils’ account is true they were at least reckless in starting the fire.

“On that night the wooden building burned down, causing over two million pounds worth of damage,” said Mr Sleigh. “These two defendants were past pupils of the school some years earlier.

“They had met that night, drank some alcohol and decided to break into their old school at 11.00pm and having entered the grounds they sat in a courtyard.

Harry Shearman

“That area was partly covered by wooden struts and having sat there for a while they broke into the school building and CCTV evidence shows them looking around.

“Meanwhile, a fire developed outside the building while the defendants were inside and when they realised this they fled.

“The fire brigade extinguished the fire, but were not able to save the building and it was destroyed,” explained Mr Sleigh. 

“You will have to decide if their behaviour was reckless or deliberate,” he told the jurors.

“No disposable BBQ was found, but one would not necessarily be discovered. 

“Experts will tell you the fire could have burned at 430 degrees centigrade.”

When initially questioned by police neither defendant mentioned anything about a BBQ.

“Shearman initially said they had sat in the area, but he did not know how the fire started and then he said in his second interview they had lit a disposable BBQ to stay warm.

“He said they left it when they decided to enter the school , but he had urinated and poured water onto it.

“In his second interview Hall-Simper gave a similar account about the BBQ and that they had left it pretty much extinguished.

“Did these defendants see a risk at leaving that BBQ there and was it unreasonable to take that risk?” asked Mr Sleigh. 

“You will be invited to consider by the prosecution that these two defendants committed arson on that day.”