Set light to wheelie bin and left it near takeaway

A day after, while on bail, CCTV showed him lighting rubbish in a wheelie bin outside and then using another to ram the door.

He has been sentenced to nine months in prison for his actions.

Judge Philip Robey described the 35-year-old Frenchman as a malicious and dangerous man and recommended he be deported.

The defendant, who gave his address as The Old Government House Hotel, Ann’s Place, St Peter Port, pleaded guilty to damaging the bin using arson, as well as damaging the front doors at the takeaway, making a threat to a staff member and causing damage to a police cell.

The Magistrate’s Court was told that Paret had gone into Tiffs in the early hours of 3 January to complain about the Christmas Eve meal, which he said gave him food poisoning. He got into a verbal altercation with a member of staff and said:‘Do you want a fire in here?’.

He was intoxicated at the time and the staff member pushed him away from the till and he fell to the floor.

He then got into a scuffle with the takeaway owner and was on the floor when the police arrived and arrested him.

When he woke up in a police cell at 7.20am, he began kicking the door, drinking from a cup and repeatedly spitting the water out on the floor and then tearing up the cell blanket with his teeth.

He tried to block the toilet with toilet paper and threw wet toilet paper at the CCTV camera.

In interview, he said he had gone to complain at the takeaway, but felt he was not treated respectfully by staff.

He was released on police bail and went out drinking with friends. In the early hours of 4 January, he was seen outside Tiffs again, which was shut.

The footage showed him kicking the door and then carefully lighting some rubbish and putting it in a wheelie bin. He then pushed that bin next to the building.

He picked up another wheelie bin and began using it as a battering ram against the door. The bin was well alight when the police arrived. He told the officers he had tried to set fire to the restaurant.

More than £4,100-worth of damage was caused the takeaway’s doors, and the bin was melted.

He told police he felt stupid for what he had done, but he had not regretted his actions, as he felt they were justified.

It was noted that the space above the takeaway is taken up by offices and storage, not residential properties.

He has a previous record in France.

Defence advocate Candy Fletcher said her client had been very angry with the takeaway staff’s attitude to his complaint.

‘He felt mocked,’ she said.

Paret is a professional waiter and Advocate Fletcher said her client felt the staff had not behaved professionally.

She said he did now accept his actions were disproportionate and he regretted them.

Advocate Fletcher said her client had known the fire would remain contained to the bin and that he had moved the burning bin closer to the building as his understanding of science was that there would be less oxygen there.

Judge Robey said in sentencing that the explanation was ludicrous.

‘I must be careful to take a deep breath before I walk that way,’ he said.

Overall he was sceptical of any remorse Paret was said to be showing and said it was fortunate the police arrived on the scene so quickly. He noted that Paret was not very drunk when he set the bin on fire.

‘These offences were acts of pure malice,’ he said.

Judge Robey noted that the prison cell damage was an act of ‘pure vindictiveness’.

‘I view you as a dangerous person,’ he said.

Judge Robey said he did not think it was in the interests of the people of Guernsey to have Paret here and recommended that he be deported.

Paret was sentenced to nine months in prison for the arson, three months concurrent for the takeaway door damage, one month concurrent for making a threat to takeaway staff and one month concurrent for the police cell damage.