LEE CARSON AND THE SHOCKING HOTEL ARSON IN BOLTON
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community, Lee Carson, a man with a troubling past, has been sentenced to life imprisonment following his involvement in a devastating arson attack at a hotel in Bolton.The judge at Liverpool Crown Court described Carson, 24, as an 'extremely dangerous young man,' emphasizing the severity of his actions and the threat he posed to public safety.
The tragic incident occurred at the Moat House Hotel in Bolton during April 2001.
Carson, a former hotel porter, was found guilty of manslaughter after an investigation revealed that he deliberately set fire to mattresses in a corridor of the hotel, causing a blaze that would claim innocent lives.
The fire rapidly escalated, trapping guests and staff inside.
The victims, William Robertson, aged 75, and his wife Margaret, aged 81, who were visiting from Blackpool, Lancashire, were among those caught in the inferno.
Their lifeless bodies were discovered in a corridor following the chaos of the fire, with both having succumbed to smoke inhalation.
An inquest jury, convened in September 2003, returned a verdict of unlawful killing, confirming that their deaths resulted from the fire that Carson had ignited.
Throughout the legal proceedings, Carson maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in starting the fire and pleading not guilty to charges of murder and two alternative manslaughter counts.
However, in a relatively swift trial, a jury took just under four hours to find him guilty of the manslaughter of William and Margaret Robertson.
They acquitted him of murder, recognizing the complexities of the case.
The background of Lee Carson's criminal history adds further gravity to his sentencing.
He had previously been convicted of indecent assault on a 15-year-old girl in 1998.
At the time of his arrest for the hotel fire, Carson was also serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for another indecent assault involving a young girl, committed in May 2002.
Given the two life sentences for manslaughter, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars before any possibility of parole.
The investigation was led by Detective Chief Inspector Tony Cook of Greater Manchester Police.
Speaking outside court, he expressed satisfaction at the outcome: 'We are pleased that a very dangerous man has been removed from the streets for a long time.
Lee Carson admitted his involvement to those close to him yet he still refused to plead guilty.
I hope that the victims and their families can now find some sense of closure, knowing that justice has been served and that Carson will spend a significant amount of time in prison reflecting on his actions that tragic night.'
