Hastings arsonist jailed for 9 years 'protect the public'

Alex Reynolds will spend much of the next ten years behind bars after he was caught by police following two blazes in East Sussex, having left DNA evidence at the scene.

The 27-year-old, from Hastings, pleaded guilty to setting two buildings alight in Bexhill and St Leonards in the past year - causing serious damage to a block of flats and an industrial unit.

Police were first called to a fire in St Marks Close shortly before 10pm on November 13, 2023. A flat had gone up in flames and a 99-year-old woman, a neighbour, died following smoke inhalation.

Firefighters at the scene in St Mark's Close (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

On March 19, 2024, officers received a call that an industrial building in Theaklen Drive, St Leonards, was on fire. It was deemed suspicious, and Reynolds was located near the property where he was arrested.

After an investigation which proved Reynolds was at the Bexhill address at the time of the arson, he was charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He pleaded guilty on May 17 at Lewes Crown Court.

DNA was also found at the property in St Leonards and he was charged with arson again. Reynolds, of Edmund Road, pleaded guilty on July 17 at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

He appeared before Lewes Crown Court on Friday, September 13, where the judge sentenced him to a total of nine years and three months’ imprisonment.

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At sentencing, the judge determined that Reynolds should be subject to a three-year extended sentence.

This is used when an offender is deemed to be dangerous that an extended licence period is required to protect the public from risk of serious harm.

It was extended to nine years and three months, from six years and three months.

Detective Sergeant Chris Milner said: “This is a really significant sentence and is truly justified in the circumstances.

“Reynolds is a serial arsonist who was escalating his offending to the point that he was risking the lives of others and causing significant damage. I am glad we can bring justice to the victims.

“He is now behind bars for a long time and this shows Sussex Police’s commitment to tackling offenders.

“I would like to thank all those that were involved in the investigation, from those that initially attended, the officers that were on a protracted scene guard, the Crime Scene Investigators and all those that work behind the scenes to help investigate these offences and build the files for court.”